Let's Go
by November7th
Summary: Through the love of the mother and with the sins of the son, the world was condemned to a darkness that can never be changed. But off in the distance stood the light of a second chance. A light that was never deserved, but given as a gift. A rediscovery to what once was and a hope to what will never be. (Lucina/Avatar, Ian)
1. Prologue: Memories

**Hello everyone and hello fandom! I know I may be extremely late to the boat with writing this story. I have actually just recently finished playing Fire Emblem Awakening, and you know what? I decided to write. A word of caution, this will be my first fanfic, so if there is anything that seems amiss, don't hesitate to let me know. And with that, I bid you all adieu, and I hope you enjoy.**

**Cover Image by Marureenu on deviantart. **

* * *

**Prologue: Memories**

As the desert sun began its descent towards the horizon, a lone woman stood upon the balcony of a noble Plegian home; her body hunched over the marble railings as she watched the passing twilight sky. Upon the woman's body was a silk dress in emerald green, along with waist length hair the color of white ash.

The colors in the sky faded from orange to purple, and as the initial stars of the night began to shine, the woman continued to watch as her mind pondered about events that have passed, and about events that have yet to come.

She finally took in a deep breath and let out a loud sigh as she thought of her marriage to a Grimleal priest a year and a half before. The marriage was arranged, and the man she married was tall, lanky, and incredibly zealous in his servitude to their god. The marriage was done out of necessity. Her husband took a great interest in her the moment he laid eyes on her, though not through attraction or anything of the sort, but seemingly only because of her merely existing. The man arranged a marriage between the two and her family agreed, seeing the importance in social status with relation to a high priest.

It wasn't a happy marriage but it wasn't a miserable one either, albeit lonely. Once the wedding was over and the child conceived, her husband no longer took an interest in her and left to his own devices. Even sleeping in a different room. Alone and pregnant, the woman could do nothing but stay and wait, occasionally talking to servants and family members during the time.

Despite the lonely months however, it wasn't until her child was born did she begin to feel life making its way back to her. The woman looked from the balcony and back into her room, smiling at a small five month old sleeping baby boy whose short hairs were as white as her own.

The mother walked over to her child who laid upon her bed, stared, and kissed her son's small, soft nose. The baby yawned and continued to sleep.

As the mother stared upon her child, a click was heard as the bedroom door opened. The woman turned around, seeing a young man with brown, messy hair equipped with steel wyvern armor step inside.

"Hey, Laura," the man said softly as he closed the door. He walked over to the woman and the two embraced. As the two let go the man looked at the small child sleeping peaceful nearby. "How's my nephew doing?"

Laura smiled, staring back at her child, "Hey, Jon. Ian's doing just fine. He's just tired is all."

Jon smiled and walked to the side of the bed, crouched, and with his right thumb traced little circles on his nephew's forehead. "Hmm," Jon chuckled, "Must be nice not having a care in the world. I'm actually kind of jealous. Think I can trade places with him?" Jon asked, grinning up at his older sister.

"No," Laura replied, giving her brother a sheepish look. "No way in the world am I going to be your mother, you're already a handful as it is. Besides, my baby is cute, and you have work to do."

"But maaaaa," Jon complained in a childish voice, standing back up.

Laura closed her eyes and chuckled, shaking her head, "What do you want?"

Jon lifted his arms into the air and stretched, "Just finished a few training exercises with the guys. Couple of flight maneuvers and all. After that I decided to come up here, check out how my nephew was doing."

"Well, you can obviously see how he's doing," Laura nodded towards her son. "How's Marr?"

"Same pain in the ass as always," Jon grunted. "He keeps insisting he's the better flier and challenges me every chance he gets. I swear I'm considering taking up on his offer just to shut him the hell up."

"Sounds like fun," Laura laughed. "I'd do it for you, but I like having my feet planted on the ground with a sword in hand."

"Huh, that reminds me," Jon said as he sat down in a chair with his hands behind his head, "Why don't you go out as much anymore? I remember watching you go outside all the time and terrorizing the straw dummies all day long."

"I would if I could," Laura sighed. "But whenever I make an effort to, I'm met with resistance from mother and every other guard and maidservant in this forsaken castle. They say it's not lady-like and that a mother must always be with her child." She then shook her head, "Ian is the sun and the joy in my life, but he is only five months old. All I can do is feed him, change him, play with him, and occasionally read to him. He's not old enough to pick up a sword, as much as I would love that."

"That sucks..." said Jon as he scratched his nose. "That means I can't teach him to fly."

"Ian can't even walk and you want to teach him to fly?" Laura said shaking her head.

Jon shrugged, "You want him to hold sharp objects."

Laura sighed once more, "Not yet," then went to go light the candles about the room. "So, anything new with Ylisse?"

"Not really. Exalt Liam is still raving about oh how Plegia is some sort of evil empire for our beliefs," Jon shook his head. "Crazy old man. Half the country doesn't even pay much attention to the Grimleal. It's mostly just social statuses and fashion statements," Jon leaned back, looking at the ceiling.

"Yeah. I would know all about that," Laura said in a depressing tone, returning to her seat.

Jon sighed, "Again, I'm sorry about that. I still thought the reason was stupid, especially watching you all cooped up like this."

Laura waved it off, "It's fine. I'm willing to make the sacrifice, especially if it makes mother and father happy. As well as a better standing for our family."

Jon paused for a moment, "...I guess," he then looked outside. The twilight had passed and was replaced with the darkness of night. "Well, I should be heading out. Time flew much quicker than expected," he then stood up.

Laura watched him head for the door, "Alright. Have a good night."

"You too," and with a soft click, the door closed.

Laura yawned then looked towards Ian, noticing the boy's eyes were open and his mouth opening and closing.

"You wake up just as people say their goodnights. It's suppose to be the other way around, silly boy," as she sat the child up. Ian gave her a large grin and fell back down, laughing. Laura smiled and shook her head, "...Silly boy."

* * *

One week later Laura decided to go for a walk in the castle courtyard, leaving Ian with a maidservant to keep watch. Laura spoke with Jon again earlier that day who made mention that he somehow forgot something in the garden shed and couldn't be bothered to go get it himself.

As Laura made her way to the shed, she spoke under her breath, "...That moron." It was near evening once again, with temperatures becoming bearable for the time being.

When she got to the shed and opened the door, she saw a familiar curved katana sheathed in the corner of the room and her old swordmaster attire folded on the table before her. Laura smiled to herself.

"...That moron."

* * *

After a couple of hours, Laura decided to retire to her room. She was in high spirits and missed the feel of her sword at her side and the freedom of her robes upon her back. However as she reached the second floor, she noticed several dark hooded figures enter a large room the hallway across from her.

Curious, Laura reached the other side and walked down the long hall, lightly pushing one of the large double doors at the end of it.

She gasped.

Before her was a large, darkened ocular room with pillars and torches of purple flame on each side. Several dark mages and priests faced an altar on a stage at the end of the room, all of them chanting.

Laura then walked inside, no one taking any notice towards her. It was then she saw three figures standing around the altar: One hooded figure who appeared the same as everyone else. Another, an elderly but sturdy man with a small white beard and greyish skin. And a third, tall, lanky, with a snake-like face and dark hair similar to that of a dragon… her husband, Validar.

As the three stood, two figures entered from the right, both carrying a chest. The two figures then stopped a couple of feet from the altar, dropping the chest with a loud thud. All chanting in the room stopped. Laura looked around, still no one noticed her, but then she looked at the chest, and heard a muffled yet sharp sound emanating from it.

The two figures then grabbed the latches on both sides of the chest and opened it. Immediately the room echoed with the cries of a weeping baby. Laura's eyes widened in horror as she watched her husband walk over to the chest and picked up Ian from it. The crowd began chanting in unison once more.

With Ian in his hands, Validar turned towards the bearded man and smiled, "His heart is pure… father."

Validar's father grinned, "At long last."

Validar walked over to the altar and set Ian down on his stomach, the boy still crying. The three by the altar nodded to one another and lifted their hands into the air.

"Let us begin!" Validar's father yelled. "May our memories become imbued within him, and may our desire to reawaken our master finally become manifest through the vessel before us! Our salvation has come! It has come for us all!" he paused, "In Grima's name!"

The crowd yelled, "In Grima's name!"

Laura took a step back and whispered to herself, "They're mad. They're all mad." She then looked towards Ian on the altar crying, her hand reaching for her blade as she began her run towards her baby.

"May he bring death to all those under our master's wings!" The hooded man's hand glowed purple as he placed it on Ian's back.

"May his hand be the hand that destroys all those that dare yet live!" Validar placed his palm on Ian's hand.

Validar's father spread his hands out towards the room, "May his mind, body, and soul be torn apart and made anew! Let him be the instrument!" His hand hovered over the entirety of Ian's body. "Come forth and despair-!"

"UURRRAAAGGGGHHHH!" Laura screamed as she ran towards the altar, slicing the hooded man's neck and Validar as she unsheathed her sword. She jumped once more over the altar and lunged at her target, running her father-in-law through. She then gripped her sword with both hands and lifted the man's body into the air. The old man still alive, struggled for breath as he was lifted higher into the air, but blood soon trickled from his lips as his body became limp. Laura dumped the body unto the floor and pulled out her sword, turning around to face her husband and the hooded man.

The hooded man held his throat and gurgling noises came with each breath, he gripped the altar trying to hold himself up, but then slumped to the ground dead. Validar was hunched over, holding his chest, his blood seeping between his fingers. Breathing heavily, he looked towards his wife and gave a low snarl, "...Laura."

Laura stared back at him, the tip of her blade pointed towards him and her face enraged. She looked at Ian on the altar who was crying over the commotion. Her face softened slightly as she picked up her baby, holding him close, but hardened once more as she stared at the man before her.

"I always thought you were overly zealous, but never would I expect you to go as far as this," Laura said, her blade still pointed.

Validar huffed, "Ha..tsss... ha..tsss… Give me my son… Now."

Laura's face returned to anger, "You are no father. And he is not your son."

Validar screamed, "NOW!" Every mage and priest in the crowd eyes turned blood red. Flames engulfed their hands and sounds of unsheathing swords and daggers echoed throughout the room. Laura turned toward the crowd, the anger in her eyes replaced with fear as her face turned pale. Her eyes widened as she heard the whistle of flames begin to rain upon her.

She ran.

Holding Ian in one arm and her sword with another, Laura ran towards the door on the right of the altar. As she ran through the door and made a sharp right, heat escaped from the room followed by flames burning the walls behind her. She looked back as she ran, and out of the flames ran the cloaked priests with swords in hand sprinting towards her, the very sight of demons.

Laura sprinted down the hallway and up ahead was a window, the light of the full moon shining through it. Just as she was about to the reach the split in the hallway, a man walked in front of her from the right, his head slowly turning towards his left and his eyes widened as he saw the scene before him.

"Jon!" Laura screamed, grabbing her brother with her swordhand, "Move! Lets go!"

"What-!" Jon yelled, running while being half dragged by his sister. The window shattered from an explosion behind them.

Laura let go of Jon as the two ran towards the courtyard, Ian's cries echoing throughout the castle.

"Call Frestrum now!" Laura yelled as the two busted through the courtyard doors, the cold air immediately hitting their faces.

Jon whistled for his wyvern as a fireball fell and exploded right behind his heels. He jumped, "Son of a-!"

A deafening roar broke through the night as a silhouette of a dragon fell from the sky, crushing the pavement beneath its feet. Frestrum roared at Jon and Laura as they ran towards the wyvern, causing Ian's cries to intensify further.

The two climbed aboard as the dark cloud of priests and mages ran towards them. "Hiyah!" Jon yelled as Frestrum took flight. Fireballs launched into the sky, Frestrum's neck recoiled and liquid streams of fire began flowing from the wyvern's mouth onto the engaging priests below.

Screams of burning men and the smell of charred flesh filled the night as the group flew with their backs towards the moon. Laura sniffed the air as they flew into the night, the cold scent slowing calming her. After a couple minutes of silence, with nothing but the sound of Frestrum's wings, Jon, keeping his head forward, asked, "Now what?"

Laura looked at Ian who was still moaning slightly but had calmed down substantially since the event, and brought him closer to her chest. "Keep going forward. Bring us somewhere safe."

* * *

**And there we have it, the beginning of my very first fanfiction. Feedback is appreciated. If there is anything in the story now or anywhere in the future that can be fixed or improved, don't hesitate to let me know. Thanks and take care! **


	2. Chapter 1: Enemies at the Gates

**Hey, everyone. Sorry for the delay. Been having long days at work and this chapter ended up being much longer than I originally thought it would be. But in the end here it is. Again, I apologize. It's much longer than I had originally intended it to be. **

* * *

**Chapter 1: Enemies at the Gates**

Screams ran through his head. That one word of horror.

"_Mother!" _

Ian watched as the twin blades of the cavaliers slashed a white haired woman's neck and torso. Her face paled and her blade fell. She kneeled, reaching for her neck, and slowly fell face forward onto the ground...

* * *

_...You can still save her…_

Ian's faced griped as he watched a blue haired man charge at a taller, darker skinned individual. The whispers of the past few months becoming stronger. Hand and blade made contact as they swung at each other, purple bouts of energy came with each blow. Ian's hand began to glow...

_...bring her back…_

Ian shot up as the dark skinned man teleported into the air.

_...give her the life she deserved..._

His teeth clenched, "I know..." as he watched the blue haired man's back slam into a pillar, large clouds of dust filling the air.

_...Had you been faster…_

"I know," the darker man's hand reached up, purple energy concentrating there.

The purple energy shot forward.

..._Had you been stronger…_

"I know!" a ball of lightning flew from Ian's hands.

An explosion came and white light filled the room. Ian opened his eyes as color made its way back to him. Before him stood the dark skinned man as he adjusted his stance, his blood red eyes staring back at him.

Ian looked towards the blue haired swordsman as he stood back up. Ian unsheathed a curved blade, "Chrom."

The blue haired man nodded towards him, "Right," as the two charged the sorcerer.

..._Take him…_

The man brought both hands forward, purple energy began to form. Ian and Chrom charged as the hilt of Chrom's blade began to glow. White light filled the room as they slashed.

_...Take them both…_

And for a moment, all was quiet.

The haze lifted, and the darker man fell, his magic escaping him. Ian then closed his eyes, the pale face of the white haired woman appearing before him once again. The whispers came once more. Ian immediately opened his eyes as he heard a scream, the purple energy coming towards them.

With his left hand, Ian pushed Chrom out of the way. The energy hit him, and his body became limp. Ian fell and his vision began to fade, the sight of his friend running towards him became a blur. "Mother…" Ian whispered to himself.

"_I'm sorry. I should have been faster. I should have been stronger."_ Ian's thoughts began to flow.

..._Bring her back…_

_"It's my fault you're gone."_

_...Save her…_

"_Please, mother. Come back to me," _Ian's senses came back to him as he found himself sitting upright, his friend Chrom holding him. Chrom smiled as he watched the body of the man they slain disappear into nothingness.

_"Come back to me…"_

"I'm sorry, Chrom," as energy began to take shape in Ian's right hand. Chrom looked back at Ian and his smile faded. Ian stood up as his eyes turned red with the veins inside becoming more prominent.

Chrom's eyes widened as the stab came, he stumbled back, gripping the bolt of lighting as it punctured through him.

There was a sound of blood entering lungs. Chrom breathed heavily, struggling to speak as he looked back at Ian "Ah...this is not your… your fault," the blood quickly leaving his face. "Promise me, you'll escape from this place," Tears formed at the edge of Ian's eyes, "Please. Go..." The light from Chrom's eyes faded as he fell forward. His life extinguished.

Ian breathed heavily as his own vision began to fade, "I'm sorry, old friend. But it was," he looked behind himself as the darkness slowly crawled towards him. Ian whispered softly, "...Please, come back to me. Both of you…"

* * *

Ian's eyes quickly opened as he woke up in bed, his bare chest cold as he looked at the open window. The darkness of night slept in his room, with only the illumination of the moon making his only light. Ian softly touched his face, confused at feeling silent tears rolling down his cheeks. He sat up and wiped them away, closing his eyes once more as he let out a slow, annoyed sigh, "Damn it… not again."

Ian pulled the bed sheets off his legs and shifted his body, sitting at the edge of his bed. He cupped his hands and rested his face in his palms, his breath muffled as he exhaled, "Guess I'm not getting any sleep tonight." Ian stood up and walked over to his desk, flicking his finger across the cover of a crimson tome. A tiny flame danced at the end of his finger. Ian lightly placed the flame above a candle, illuminating the small bed room.

Ian waved his finger, extinguishing the flame. He then walked over to an oval mirror by his bed, faced his back towards it and stared. A violet marking covered most of his back. The symbol contained six encircling eyes starting from his shoulder blades, ending with a small helix down the bottom middle near his lower back. Ian looked at the back of his right hand, seeing the same symbol marked upon it.

"_What are you?" _Ian thought, using his left thumb to try and rub off the tattoo, but expected nothing from it. He looked back at the mirror reflecting his back, and with his left hand tried to touch most of the marking, feeling nothing but his skin underneath.

Ian's hand dropped as his mind began to wander, wandering back to the white haired woman as she fell, her eyes staring back at him. Ian walked aimlessly about the room, trying to figure out her connection. Why was she so important? What was it about her that made his heart sink? His chest feel so heavy?

Ian walked back to his bed, sat down and leaned back, lying down, with his hands behind his head. He stayed there quiet for a couple of minutes, thinking, feeling the cold breeze of the night brush over him. He stayed there, until without thinking, a single word fell from his lips, "...Mother." Ian blinked in surprise and said the word again. The word was familiar somehow, but it felt foreign. Ian stared at the ceiling and thought, "_Is that who that woman is? Did I have a mother?" _Ian was quiet once more, playing with the idea in his head.

After a couple of minutes, he heard movement outside. Curious, Ian got up and walked over to the window, surprised to see a blue haired man, his friend Chrom, wandering the grounds.

"_What in the world? What's he doing up at this time?"_ Ian watched as Chrom slowly stopped walking, his left palm lightly covering the bottom grip of Falchion as he stood facing the sky. Ian stared, then looked at his closet behind him then back at Chrom. Ian slowly sighed, "_Well... it's not like I'll be getting any more sleep tonight anyways."_ He walked over to his closest, put his shirt and cloak on, put on his boots, snuffed out the candle, and walked out the room. Making his way to the courtyard where his friend stood.

* * *

Chrom stood within the palace courtyard, both arms crossed as he watched the stars of the night. He closed his eyes as he inhaled, held it for a moment, and slowly exhaled. The trees in the yard rustled at that very moment, as if by his own breath were they ordered to move.

The blue haired prince opened his eyes and turned as he heard footsteps behind him. He saw his close friend Ian walking towards him, his hands in his coat pockets and his white, messy hair contrasting with the darkened background. Ian gave a small wave as he approached, "Hey."

Chrom nodded, "Hey."

Ian smiled as he finally stopped, "It's pretty late out. Can't sleep?"

Chrom looked back up into the sky, "I'm uh… just dueling with some unpleasant thoughts," he answered, "We're going to march to Regna Ferox tomorrow, request for some additional soldiers. Now that we have a war on our hands," Chrom looked back at Ian.

Ian slowly nodded, "Yeah. Guess I never really thought that would ever happen, what with Emmeryn in charge and all."

Chrom shook his head, "I never thought it would happen either. Our war with Plegia ended just about fifteen years ago. And here we are now, just about to prepare for another."

"You've mentioned the Plegians always wanting war with Ylisse," Ian inquired, "And seeing Gangrel today, I don't doubt that. Care to explain?"

Chrom nodded, "Not everything Gangrel said was a lie. The last exalt, Exalt Liam. My father, if that means anything," Chrom looked to his side and back, "He declared war on Plegia about more than fifteen years ago. It was a war he told me, to root out the evils of the world, to make ours a safer place," Chrom said, "I was three years old when he told me that."

"What was so evil about them?" Ian asked.

"They worshipped the Fell Dragon, Grima. The very same dragon that almost brought about the destruction of the world a thousand years ago," Chrom replied. "The entire country was full of fanatics he told me."

Ian stayed quiet for a moment, slightly scrunched his face then nodded in understanding, "Well, evil dragon or not, I don't see why you need to declare war on a country just for the people's beliefs."

Chrom chuckled for a bit then returned to his story, "We invaded the day after my father declared war, but they were able to hold us off for a number of years. Soon we were running out of resources and running out of men. But my father refused to give in, despite knowing the war was lost. And so, he conscripted every able-bodied man to the fight," Chrom's face turned to shame, "Every farmer that could barely hold a pitchfork. Every child that was barely of age," Chrom gritted his teeth, his fists clenched, "Even the sick and elderly were forced to fight."

Ian's face saddened, "Chrom…"

Chrom continued, "We lost an entire generation and then some. The war finally ended with my father's sudden death. Assassinated by poison. Our mother died shortly afterwards, heartbroken after his death. They never found the man who did it," Chrom paused, "The assassin was considered a hero by almost everyone in Ylisse."

"I'm sorry, Chrom, for both your loss," Ian began, "It must be hard knowing that the one who killed your father was loved more by the people than your own father himself."

Chrom nodded, crossing his arms and looking back into the sky, "It's bittersweet I suppose. Glad that the war managed to end. Don't know where Emm, Lissa, and I would be now if it hadn't," Chrom looked at Ian, "But I lost both my parents because of it, and I wish I got to know my father more. Have something else to remember him by besides almost destroying two countries."

"Hey," Ian placed his hand on Chrom's shoulder, "From what I see, about what you told me about your father, was that he was a determined man. He went after what he believed was right. That's something you can remember him by," Ian smiled, "And I think it's safe to say that he did all of that with his family in mind."

Chrome stared, "Even after he had so many people killed and destroyed countless families?"

Ian sighed, "Well aren't you depressing? Yeah, even so. He was determined to keep you safe, even if his methods had so many people killed. But with that determination came his love, the exact same I see in you with your willingness to protect others," Ian smiled, bringing his right fist and pressing his knuckles against Chrom's chest.

Chrom smiled back and grabbed his friend's hand, "Thank you. That means a lot," and for a moment, there was a silence of understanding.

Chrom let go of his friend's hand and crossed his arms once more, his stance much more confident, "Well, Emmeryn's in charge now. Became the new exalt when she was nine years old. The people hated her at first, thought she'd grow up to be just like her father. They even threw stones at her," Chrom became visibly upset for just a moment, but soon his face changed to that of admiration, "But she ended the war, brought all of the soldiers home. And in time we rebuilt the kingdom, Emm always showing constant love and compassion along the way."

"She's a fine ruler," Ian nodded.

"Indeed," Chrom agreed, "But there are people out there, men like King Gangrel that would rather destroy, take advantage of someone like Emm," Chrom dropped his arms and stared intently into Ian's eyes, "I will not let that happen. I won't let Gangrel destroy the peace my sister stands for, and if that means his death," Chrom looked and grabbed the grip of his sword, "Then so be it."

"Very well spoken, sir," came the sound of a third person, the voice forcibly deep.

Chrome and Ian turned to see a figure step from the shadows. The person was covered in clothing the color of naval blue, with white cuffs at their wrists and atop their boots, ending at their lower thigh. They wore a cape that had the colors of crimson red as seen from the front and blue at the back. A sword that bore a striking similarity to Chrom's, sheathed on their left side. Their dark colored hair was short, and upon their face rested a beautiful blue mask gilded in traces of gold. Their eyes covered, hiding their identity.

"Marth…" Chrome spoke to the man before him, his face showing his surprise.

"Good evening to you," Marth gave a small smile at Chrom's surprise.

"How did you get in here?" Chrom asked, trying to look behind the mysterious swordsman.

Marth pointed behind him, "The cleft in the castle wall, behind the maple grove. Decided to let myself in."

Chrom's confusion grew, "The maple tree? How do you know…?"

"Chrom?" Ian asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I accidently bashed a small hole in by the tree while training with the Shepherds a couple months ago. I could have sworn it was well concealed though…" Chrom admitted, looking a little annoyed.

Ian blinked, "You should probably get that fixed, least another assassin decides to come through."

Marth nodded, "Funny you should mention that. There is something I wish to warn you about."

Chrom turned back to Marth, "Warn us? About what?"

Marth turned his head, looking behind himself, quiet for a moment as if listening for something, "What if I told you there is a plan to take out the exalt's life tonight?"

Chrom's eyes widened, "What, Emmeryn? That's absurd, she's guarded at all hours," Chrom thought for a moment, "An assassin?"

"Make that a couple dozen," Marth corrected, "What if I told you I've seen the future? Would you believe me?" Marth's body straightened, slowly reaching for his blade. "What if I told you that in that very same future they succeed, and Exalt Emmeryn is killed. Tonight. Would you believe me?"

"The future?" Chrom asked, his look of extreme skepticism as his brows were extremely furrowed, "Are you mad?"

"You don't believe me. Alright then," Marth nodded, "Then allow me to prove it to you," he pulled out his blade, pointing it at Chrom.

Chrom and Ian reached for their swords.

Marth continued to stand there, almost relaxed as he explained, "I'm about to save your life," Chrom paused as Marth motioned behind him. Out from the bushes a hooded assassin charged, intending to silence Marth's words. Marth quickly turned around, parrying the attack. Marth spun around once more, kicking the assassin in the face before slashing the man diagonally through his chest. With his back towards Chrom, Marth extended his sword to his side, looking back, "I trust this proof will suffice?"

Chrom slowly nodded in surprise, "...Yeah."

Marth looked content for a moment, but gasped as he heard a rustle in the tree before him. A second assassin jumped from the top of the tree, intending to strike at a shocked Marth below. Marth stepped back, but was shoved forward as Ian grabbed him by the waist, the two falling forward as the assassin's blade flew overhead.

The assassin kneeled as he landed, looking up to the sight of Chrome bringing Falchion over his head, effectively crushing the assassin's skull.

Ian and Marth looked behind them as they laid on the ground, the former holding the latter's shoulder. Ian then turned towards Marth, intending to ask him if he was okay, "Hey, are you-?" Ian stopped, his eyes widened. Inches away from his face was that of a woman's, the mask gone. Marth's short, blue hairs dropped, revealing its true length.

Marth, noticing Ian's stare, instinctively reached for where their mask should have been. Feeling nothing, they looked at the ground in front of them, finding the mask broken in two.

"Hey!" Chrom ran up to the two, bringing his hand down to help them up. But as Marth turned their head, Chrome froze for a second, "Wait…" his hand hanging, "You're a woman?"

The woman nodded, dusting herself off as she got up on her own, "Mmhmm. And quite the actress too, apparently. Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't figure it out sooner," she tilted her head.

An explosion came from the castle in the distance, the three turned. Chrom, grabbing the grip of his sword, said, "Come on," as the three ran towards the source of the noise.

* * *

"Where's my damn horse?!" the angry yell of a woman echoed through the castle halls.

"They're all at the stalls! Forget about it, Sully! We have no time!" two individuals in red and green armor ran across the hall towards the exalt's room, spears in hand.

"How the hell did they manage to get in?" Sully, the woman in red armor yelled.

"No clue! Think it was that explosion we heard earlier. They must have busted through the front gates!" the man in green armor answered.

"Those fuckers! There will be hell to pay when I get to them!" Sully yelled, turning her head as they passed another split in the hallway. As they ran, she saw Chrom, Ian, and the unknown woman running towards them. Sully motioned for the three to hurry up, "Come on, you bastards! We have to move! Lets go!"

As the five ran for the exalt, Sully turned toward the stranger, her eyebrows raised, "Huh? Who the hell are you?"

Chrom answered, "It's Marth. Turns out _he_ was really a _she_ this entire time."

"Oh really now?" Sully inquired, "Sweet, another woman that knows how to kick some ass!"

"Good to finally meet you for real this time," the man in the green armor greeted, looking at Marth behind him.

Marth gave a small nod, "...To some degree, but yes. The honor is mine...Stahl, Sully," The two nodded in return.

"We're almost there!" Chrom yelled. The five reached the exalt's room, along with Lissa, Frederick, Lon'qu, Sumia, and the rest of the Shepherds from behind. As they opened the doors, they found Emmeryn in her nightgown behind her bodyguard, Phila, who had already taken a defensive stance.

Phila lowered her spear in relief and Emmeryn turned her head towards the group, "Chrom…"

Chrom gave a small smile, relieved to see his sister unharmed, "Emm, you're alright."

Emmeryn nodded, "Yes, but it appears we have intruders at the gate."

"Yeah," Chrom agreed. He turned to Phila, "Phila, where are the guards?"

Phila nodded, "Most of the royal guard were stationed near the front doors this evening, completing their evening inspection. They're most likely combating the intruders right now, but I'm unsure how long they'll hold," Chrom looked back at the door, "My pegasus knights are mobilizing as we speak, but it will take some time."

Chrom looked back, "Alright then. Phila, keep Emm safe, we'll hold off the intruders until the reinforcements arrive."

Emmeryn's face changed to horror, "No, Chrom! Please, flee now while you still can," she turned to Phila, "And you as well. All of you, please run. What they want is me."

Chrom sighed, "Emm, you can be so thick sometimes. No way we're leaving you behind," he turned to Ian, "Ian, you're our tactician. Take the stage."

Ian nodded, "Got it," he turned to the group behind him, "Alright! Listen up! Looks like we're on the defensive! There are three main entrances leading to this room. The staircase from east wing, the one from the south, and the one to the west. In each room we will create a defensive line so no assassins get through," he turned to Frederick, "Frederick, I want you to gather a group and defend the east wing. Sumia will act as squad leader."

Frederick nodded, "Understood. Half of you come with me!" Frederick beckon his group to follow, the group leaving through the door.

Ian turned to Lon'qu and Marth, "I'll need you two to defend the entrance to Emmeryn's room. We'll need capable combatants to defend should one of the rooms fall." The two nodded. Ian then faced Chrom, "You, me, and the rest will hold the western wing. Make sure no one gets through."

Chrom nodded, "Alright then. You heard him, everyone! Lets move!" the group walked for the door, but Chrom stopped, turning around to face Emmeryn, "Don't do anything stupid while we're gone."

Emmeryn replied, her worry evident, "Be safe."

Chrom nodded, "You know I will," and he walked out the door.

* * *

Lon'qu and Marth stood guard outside Emmeryn's doors, the sounds of fighting echoing throughout the halls. The two had their swords sheathed, but their hands at the ready. Marth looked at Lon'qu who stood still, his head scanning the room for any intruders. Marth did the same.

After a couple minutes of silence, Marth spoke up, "Uh… Lon'qu, " Lon'qu continued to scan, "Lon'qu."

Lon'qu faced Marth, his face annoyed, "What?"

Marth looked down at the ground, unable to meet his face," I… want to apologize, about what happened at Regna Ferox," she looked up again.

Lon'qu grunted, then went back to scanning, "Hmph. I sensed something was off back then. Now I understand the reason why," he looked back at Marth, seeing her female features.

Marth nodded, "What I did was underhanded, but necessary. I owe you a debt of gratitude, more than you can ever know," she looked straight ahead, holding her sword's grip, "I know this may come off as sudden, but I wish to fight you again once this is over," she turned to face Lon'qu, "No tricks this time."

Lon'qu's face turned slightly red, but quickly changed back to his normal color as he looked away. He grunted once more, "We'll see…"

Marth smiled to herself as she went back to scanning, quietly whispering to herself, "Thank you… uncle."

* * *

"Why… the… hell… are there... so many of them!" Sully grunted as she sprinted with her lance pointed forward, running a myrmidon through.

Stahl, pinned down on the ground, was blocking an axe inching towards his face as he screamed out, "Someone! Help!"

An orange haired thief sprinted to the two struggling men, brought his blade over the assassin's back and stabbed. The man became limp, fell over and died. Stahl pushed the dead body off of him and got up, breathing heavily, "Ah… huh…. Thanks, Gaius."

The thief nodded, "No prob."

A couple feet away, Chrom and Ian stood by the stairwell, trying to hack away at any intruders trying to come up.

Ian grunted as he parried an attack, and kicked a man in the gut, causing him to fall down the stairs, "You said only one assassin killed your father! Why are they now sending an entire battalion!"

Chrom brought Falchion down on someone's head, "Damned if I know! But… there shouldn't be many left by this point! Ragh! We just need to hold the line!"

Ian slashed again then took out a green tome from his cloak and quickly flipped through the pages, "Screw it!" he turned behind him, "Ricken! Get over here! We need to get them off the stairs!"

A young man in mage garments ran up to him, "Got it!"

The two turned towards the stairs, their tomes in hand, "Chrom! Get out of the way!" Ian yelled. Chrom ran to the side of the wall, his back pressed tightly against it as powerful gusts of wind flew right by him, his hands tightly gripping the railings.

The remainder of the intruders laid on the ground, a couple were still alive but writhered on the ground. The rest were either unconscious or dead.

The group took a breather in that moment of silence, sweat running down their faces. Ian, Ricken, and Chrom listened for any movement downstairs, and after a minute of listening, cautiously began their descent. As they reached the bottom, the three stood still, looking through the hallway for any signs of hostiles, hearing nothing but their own nervous heartbeats.

Once it seemed everything was clear, Ian turned to Ricken and quietly spoke to him, "Ricken, go back upstairs, check up on the other groups. We'll stay down here in case any more show up."

Ricken slowly nodded as he went back up the stairs, "Alright."

Ian and Chrom nodded to one another as they searched the hallway and side entrances, their swords at the ready. Everything was quiet, almost eerily so. The sound of fighting had stopped upstairs, but no one seemed to be coming. The two then split up, cautiously walking to the western and eastern doors.

Chrom reached the westward door, and as his hand reached the handle, the doors flew open, gusts of wind pushing against his body. Chrom covered his face as the wind blew. As he lowered his arms, what stood before him was a tall, dark, lanky man, dressed in sorcerer attire.

Then there was a flash of purple.

Ian turned as he heard the noise, finding Chrom flying across the room. He then looked left, seeing the tall man walk into the room. His heart suddenly dropped. Ian's right hand and back began to warm. He looked at Chrom, seeing his friend unconscious by a wall, then looked back at the man walking into the room, a purple ball of energy forming over his right hand. Ian tightened his grip on his sword and ran.

Ian sprinted in anger towards the walking man, but as he got closer, the burning in his hand and back began to intensify. He looked at his hand when he finally noticed the burning sensation, shocked to find the mark glowing bright red. The pain in where the marks laid exploded. Ian dropped to the floor and screamed in agony, his sword dropping to the floor. Both his hand and back contorted as if he were being constantly braided by iron.

The man suddenly stopped and turned his head, finding Ian kneeling on the ground and screaming. Intrigued, he walked over and stood over the screaming tactician.

The man's eyes narrowed as he watched, staring at Ian's face cringing with intensity. His eyes then moved over to his right hand, seeing a very familiar symbol etched upon its back. Ian continued to grip his wrist so hard that his right hand began turning pale at the lack of blood.

The man grinned, "Your face. For some reason it brings me so much anger, such a hatred that I cannot describe. But at the same time, I feel joy. Joy that I have finally found you," the man's hand began to glow purple once more, "You have finally returned to me," the energy engulfed Ian as he was lifted into the air, his eyes on level with the man before him.

The man walked over and caressed his face, "You look so much like _her_. The resemblance is uncanny. The nose, the eyes, even the hair is almost the same-"

"Who the hell-?" Ian managed to grunt.

Pain instantly struck across Ian's face, "Silence!" the man yelled, striking Ian across the face. The calm instantly gone. The man paused. Suddenly with his other hand he struck him again. And again. And again. And again. And again. Two blood streaks were seen on the left side of Ian's face, the liquid inside began to leak out.

The man stopped, breathing heavily, "You have no idea how much trouble that woman has put me through. But here you are. Alive and ready to serve," the man grinned once more. "Be the vessel. Kill the exalt..." he whispered into his ear.

Ian's vision began to fade as footsteps were heard from the stairs. Yells were heard and war cries were made. Fireballs fell at the man's feet and Ian instantly dropped to the floor. Ian blinked slowly as the world moved in slow motion, but finally heard a scream as the man's body fell before him.

The man turned his head, he spoke words but Ian couldn't hear. The man reached for Ian's face and the world suddenly fell to black.

* * *

**That wraps up the first official chapter. It was also in this chapter did I realize how much I hate writing off of the game's script. Lack of freedom while writing as well as hearing dialogue people have already heard for the hundredth time. I wanted to change it up a bit but not deviate too much from the original script. This is one of the reasons why this took so long to write. Hopefully in the future there will be less of that and I'll have the opportunity to make up scenes that aren't in the game, but until then, thanks for reading, and I'll see you guys next time. **


	3. Chapter 2: Writings

**So there we go again, took me a while to write another chapter. Unfortunately I feel as though this is going to become more common as the story progresses, either due to writer's block or pure laziness. Either way, the chapter is here. I feel as though it could be a little bit better, but I am content with it for now. Anyways, thanks for reading so far and I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Writings**

_"Hey, sis. I think I found something."_

_"What did you find?"_

_"Remember when you told me to bring us somewhere safe? Well, I think I found it."_

_"It?"_

_"I think I found our new home..."_

* * *

The morning lights crept through the windows of the hospital wing, bringing its orange tint along with it. As the sun awoke from the horizon, the dawn began to tiptoe further into the room, visiting its sleeping occupants. The light reached for Ian's hand and slowly moved for his eyes, opening them as they made contact. Ian blinked but quickly closed his eyes once more, shielding himself from the brightness of the growing sun. He groaned, turning his head over in the opposite direction, preparing to go back to sleep. But then his eyes opened once more, the events of the previous night flashing before him.

Ian took in his surroundings, realizing where he was. He saw beside him multiple beds holding injured members of the royal guard, along with a large window with the morning sun peaking through it. Ian then looked straight ahead, noticing Chrom lying dormant in the bed across from him.

Ian then looked at his right hand and touched the marking on the back of it, no longer feeling the tortuous burns he felt the night before. He eventually stopped and sat there for a moment, turning to face the rising sun. After a couple of minutes however, Ian grew bored, and decided to get out of bed. Though the burning sensations had gone, he still felt the soreness in his muscles as his feet touched the floor. Ian let out a small grunt as he stood up.

The ash haired tactician walked slowly to his friend's bed, watching as the prince slowly inhaled and exhaled in his slumber. From what Ian could tell, Chrom looked a little beat up, but was healthy nonetheless, despite the injuries he had sustained the night before. Ian stared for another couple of seconds, debating whether or not if he should try and wake Chrom. He eventually thought against it and decided to head for the door, wanting to get out of the room while at the same time leaving his friend to rest. Ian grabbed his cloak that laid on the chair beside his hospital bed and quietly opened the medical room door, checking both sides of the hallway before exiting.

The castle was quiet for the most part. Ian only seemed to have run into servants that were preparing their duties for the day as well as a noticeably higher guard count shrewn about the hallways. The tactician was looking for anyone familiar however, someone that was present during their fight to defend the exalt to fill him in after he had lost consciousness. It wasn't long until he found Frederick. The great knight was standing near the front gates, a large gaping hole stood in place where the fifty foot tall wooden doors should have been. Frederick's arms were crossed as he watched the repairs in progress, while also assessing the damage created by last night's explosion. Ian slowly walked down the main hall towards him, "Good morning, Frederick."

Frederick turned around, a look of surprise on his face as he found the tactician standing before him, "Oh, Ian. What a surprise. I didn't think you would have recovered so quickly from the injuries you sustained from last night's skirmish."

"Yeah," Ian replied, scratching the back of his head, "Just woke up, couldn't get back to sleep. Decided to walk around for a bit. I feel cramps all over though."

Frederick nodded, "It's understandable. Your body was all contorted when we got to you," The knight's brows suddenly furrowed, "Although, I would like to ask, if you don't mind me being so forward…" Ian stopped. "What on earth happened back there? We heard ungodly screams coming from downstairs and by the time we arrived, we find Lord Chrom unconscious and you on the verge of death."

Ian suddenly became confused, "Wait. Did none of you see the man holding me captive?"

"We saw him. And though he was quite skilled in his craft, we were able to eliminate him," Frederick answered, "You and Chrom were the only casualties," he quickly added, noticing the look of concern on Ian's face.

Ian breathed in, "Glad to hear it."

Frederick gave another inquisitive look, "However, both you and Chrom are also very capable fighters. How is it that one man was able to subdue both of of you so quickly?"

Ian slowly shook his head, "Chrom went to go open one of the doors when suddenly he was blown back into a wall. Guess he was knocked out instantly…" Ian looked at the back of his right hand, "As for me… I have honestly no clue. One moment I'm charging the guy that took out Chrom, and the next…" he looked back up at Frederick, "The next I have a burning sensation all over my body. It was like I was on fire, except ten times over."

Frederick stayed quiet.

"The man walked to me when I was incapacitated and he lifts me up. He started talking to me," Ian paused.

The two stood quiet for a couple of moments. "What was he talking to you about? Do you know each other?" Frederick asked.

Ian shook his head, "No. Well, at least I don't. But I think he knew who I was. He kept saying I had… returned to him."

"Could he have known you from before you lost your memory?" Frederick asked.

Ian stayed quiet for a couple of seconds and slowly exhaled, 'I… don't know," he looked past Frederick, finding the artisans hard at work repairing the gate and the walls that stood by it. He blinked, looked down on the ground and back up at Frederick, "Frederick, you mentioned that you and the others took out the man that took down Chrom and I?"

"Yes," Frederick answered, "He should no longer be a threat to us."

Ian nodded, "Good," he paused once more. "I would like to ask… may I see this man's body?"

Frederick raised an eyebrow and cautiously spoke, "I suppose. But what do you intend to do with it?"

"The man kept repeating that I had returned to him. And with what you said, I'm wondering if he really had known me before I lost my memories. And if he did, he may have some information that may help me recover them," Ian crossed his arms.

The knight thought for a moment, "A reasonable request. However, any equipment or valuables from the intruders last night have been confiscated from their bodies. Anything may have contained information as to how they could have staged this attack."

"Do you know where these items are kept then?" Ian asked.

Frederick straightened his body and brought his hands together behind his back, "They should be kept in the storage room in the eastern wing of the castle. However, many of the much more valuable items, such as documents, are on the main table in the library for further examination. It's being used as an impromptu examination area at the current moment."

"Thank you, Frederick," Ian replied. "I'll leave you back to your work."

Frederick nodded, "And you as well," turning his back to the tactician and walked back to the destroyed gate.

* * *

Ian walked back down the hallway, his hands in his coat pockets. The day had just barely begun but Ian still felt the lingering effects of exhaustion from the day before. He passed by windows that showed the orange rise of the morning sun and casually thought to himself how easily he could have mistaken it for a sunset.

"_Or maybe it really is a sunset and I can go back to sleep. Another couple hours of rest would be nice," _Ian smiled to himself as he walked for another couple of minutes, eventually finding himself at the large double doors of the castle library. He opened the doors and found rows and columns of bookshelves on both sides of him. A small number of individuals were scattered throughout the room with books at their side and documents before them. One of those individuals was the Shepherd's head researcher, the mage Miriel.

Mirel sat at the far end of the main library table on the opposite end of the room, her head quickly moving back and forth between the document and the purple text beside her. Ian with his hands still in his pockets walked up to the red haired mage and stood quietly beside her. A couple moments had passed however when he realized she still hadn't noticed him. Ian sighed and called out her name multiple times. Still she hadn't noticed. Ian's eyes lowered halfway and his lips neutral; he put one his hands on the left page of Miriel's text, getting an, "Oh," out of her as she finally looked up. Ian crossed his arms.

"Ah, Ian. My sincerest apologies. I did not notice your presence beside me as I was too engrossed in this operational manifest," the woman looked up, setting her quill down. She crossed her arms on the table, "Do you require any assistance?"

"Yes, that'd be appreciated," Ian answered. "I'm looking for documents, more specifically from the last mage that was taken out during last night's raid. Do you know where I can find them?"

"Yes, all important documentation is on the table before you. I have organized said documents by numerical page value starting with the lesser on the left and the increased value on my right," Miriel pointed to the papers before her.

Ian looked, "Well, isn't that convenient? But isn't it a bit dangerous to leave such important documents laying around?"

"At the current moment not all documentation has been properly processed and thus cannot be set aside for the castle records. My assistants and I are currently completing such a process including translations from Plegian to common," the woman adjusted her glasses.

"Plegian?" a quizzical look on Ian's face. "I thought Gangrel wanted a massive war, not a quick and clean assassination."

"On the contrary," Miriel went back to reading, "It would appear that the declaration of war and the assassination attempt are two entirely isolated events. Though the writing is of the same origin, the documents and the manifest make no mention of the Plegian king anywhere within their contents."

"That's strange," Ian noted, walking over to the other side of the table, picking up a large purple text from the row of evidence. "Do we know what their motives were? Maybe they didn't want to be traced back to the king?"

Miriel continued to read, "That is one possibility. Covering their tracks in the case their operation goes awry. However, the information we have gathered up to now appears much too fabricated for relation to the crown to make any amount of logical sense," she looked up at Ian as he flipped through the text before him. "Either they are being very thorough in their attempt to discombobulate our search, or it truly is an isolated event with absolutely no relation to the declaration whatsoever. My hypothesis would be the latter option," Miriel went back to her work.

Ian slowly nodded, "Right…" he continued to stand as he began to flip through the pages of the text in his hands. The book was heavy, with his right hand supporting the spine as his left flipped through the pages. It didn't take long for Ian to realize what he held in his hands was a journal. He went to the latest entry.

**_August 1, Year 1619_**

_Operations have been set into motion. I have been told that the Shepherds and their leader, Prince Chrom, have recently returned from their journey in the northern regions of Regna Ferox. Whether or not alliances between the two nations have been made leaves me with little concern however. It will simply mean more for the undead to fight. The strong will survive and they will grow while the weak will perish, and it appears this applies to both the living and the dead. Yet for my risen, as the Ylissians so delicately put it, death is not the end, but the means to it. Their dead armies will add to the uncounted legion._

Ian flipped a page.

**_August 1, Year 1619, Second Entry_**

_The Ylissean dogs appear to have come back from an unknown skirmish. What a pleasant surprise and what a fortunate stroke of luck for our operation. Our assassins were able to easily infiltrate the palace as much of the royal guard were sent along with the exalt west to the Plegian border. Things have gone much better than expected, it truly seems Grima has smiled upon us today. My men are in position, now all we must do is wait…_

Ian again flipped the page, finding that the rest of the pages were left blank. Though a tad disappointed, he found himself unsurprised as he already knew of the author's fate. Ian pulled out a chair from the table and set the text down, flipping through a random set of pages in the opposite direction as he sat. As Ian quickly skimmed the pages, he began to realize how old the text was. The first entry dated back to the year 1599.

"_A year before I was born," _Ian noted in his head, if Miriel's age evaluation of him back when he first joined the Shepherds was accurate. Ian jumped a couple more pages, curious to see what was written down in the year of his birth, noticing the inconsistency with a couple of entries that were either weeks or months apart.

**_February 17, Year 1600_**

_The child has bear fruit, a male, from the looks of it. All limbs accounted for, appears mentally stable and healthy. Good. A good potential vessel if we are to be so lucky. Whatever the child's name is is up to her, it matters not to me. It will come to me in time when the ritual ends. For now however, I must observe, see if he is worthy. If the spouse was correct._

Ian skimmed through the months, finding the text mentioning some religious rituals.

**J_uly 16, Year 1600_**

_The time of confirmation is near. All tests leading up to this point have gone well, almost perfect. Yet one more test remains. I must speak with the spirits one last time, perform the ritual of myself, my father, my grandfather, and those before me. If he is to be denied, then the cycle will continue. However, if the spirits accept him, then a millennium of waiting is finally over and the vessel's ritual will finally begin. The regrets of the world will finally be gone…_

**_July 17, Year 1600 _**

_Success! Success! My hands shake as I write, for my giddiness can be ill contained! The millenium is over and the year has finally come. He has been accepted! Even the spirits themselves can hardly contain their excitement. Now, in a couple moments time at midnight the ritual will begin and Lord Grima will finally return to us. All that is wrong with this world will be gone and all will rejoice! Seconds chances can finally be made and events will finally be as they should be. Oh my child, how proud I am to call you my son. Tonight I will finally learn your name…_

As Ian's hand traced through the writing, he noticed one particular page had more ink splatter seeping through it when compared to the others. Multiple bump marks protruded from the other side of the paper and were scattered about in random locations. As Ian turned the page, he realized why.

**_July 18, Year 1600_**

_They're gone… Damn it! They're gone! GODDAMNIT! _

The rest of the sentence trailed off as a line of ink was sloppily slashed to the side. What seemed to have been bump marks from the previous page were actually multiple stabbings of quill to paper, even ink prints of the bottom half of the man's fist were seen with each frustrated stab.

Ian leaned back in his chair for a bit, scratching the back of his neck. What he was reading belonged to a man that was now dead, but even then, the anger leaked through the page at an incredible rate. The tactician no longer felt comfortable reading.

Miriel looked up as she noticed the tactician leaning away from the book, a thoughtful look on his face as he looked up, "You have a rather incommodious look about you. Was it something you read from the text?" She asked.

Ian nodded while still looking up, "Yeah."

"Hmm," Miriel thought out loud, "Yet that specific text has yet to be translated. Would that suggest that you are competent in terms of the Plegian alphabet and its sentence structure?"

Ian froze. He stopped staring at the ceiling and looked back at Miriel. His eyes slowly moved over to the journal and read the words as he grabbed Miriel's translation book. He looked back and forth, realizing that he understood both texts as he read out loud.

"What on earth? I didn't even know Plegia had a separate written language until a few minutes ago. Now I'm able to read it as fluently as I can read, what, Ylissian?" Ian's eyes widened a bit at the realization, his face dumbstruck.

"Fascinating," Miriel said, bringing out a small notebook as she began to write down this new finding. "It would appear that your amnesiatic loss affects not only memory but some aspects of cognitive brain function. In this case your ability to understand two languages in terms of written text. I wonder what else has yet to be uncovered?"

Ian slowly nodded, "Yeah…" He immediately noticed the look in Miriel's eyes, the look that suggested the unparallel need to experiment. He decided it was time to leave. "Hey, um, I think I'm going to head out. Go for a walk and clear some of my thoughts."

Miriel stopped writing, "Very well then. Though while you are ruminating through your thoughts, please come back to me should you uncover any other memories or revelations of cognitive skill whether they be physical or mental. I would very much like to be able to write down any new discoveries."

"Yeah," Ian got out of his seat and walked out the door, "I'll be sure to do that."

* * *

"Ah, damn it. My back is killing me," Chrom spoke to himself, walking outside to the castle courtyard while rubbing his back. It had been an hour since sun rise when Chrom finally regained consciousness, the nurses in the medical room were also already up at this time and were preparing their work for the injured that day. Though they made attempts to have the prince stay and recover a little longer, Chrom wouldn't have it. A war was on its way and he needed to get the Shepherds ready.

As Chrom reached the training grounds, he found Lon'qu already hard at work with his swordplay, his grunts coming with each swing. Lon'qu worked on a straw dummy before him, slashing multiple times in a mad frenzy, leaving little time in between with each swing. After a couple more seconds, the man finally sheathed his sword as he finished his set, the head of the straw dummy rolling over moments later. The myrmidon turned his head as he heard Chrom approach.

"Hey," Chrom called out, looking at the decapitated dummy head, "Nice work. Looks like you did a number on him."

Lon'qu fully turned his body and gave a small nod, observing Chrom as he approached, "Hmm. You recovered."

"Yeah," Chrom grunted while stretching his back, "But it feels like... some parts more than others."

Lon'qu grunted, "Will that impede you in your work?"

"No, but…" Chrom started, rubbing his back, "It'll be a little bit painful in the meantime, as long as I don't strain myself. Though I suppose it's similar to what Frederick said, '_Pain is weakness leaving the body.' _I guess I'll need to work on that."

Lon'qu nodded, "...I think I may be able to help with some of that weakness."

Chrom raised an eyebrow, "How so?"

Lon'qu motioned with his finger, "Turn around." Skeptical and eyebrows still raised, Chrom slowly turned, his head turning to his right as he felt a hand placed on his shoulder. Realizing a little bit too late, Chrom's eyes widened as his torso stretched forward as he felt pain shoot through his back and Lon'qu's knuckles pressing hard against his back center. Chrom jumped forward as he gave a yell, his hands reaching for his back as he hopped around in a circle. Lon'qu crossed his arms.

"Better?" the swordsman asked, watching as Chrom stopped and gave another stretch.

Chrom blinked as he looked up at the sky, his hands slowly rubbing his back as he stopped for a moment. "Yeah… surprisingly so," he turned around, "Thanks, Lon'qu."

Lon'qu nodded, "Weakness leaving the body."

Chrom smiled, "Yeah… guess so."

The two stood quiet for a moment in an awkward silence. Lon'qu never spoke much and Chrom didn't really know how to talk to the guy. Chrom shifted his feet as Lon'qu finally spoke up, "Well, was there something you wanted?"

Chrom rubbed the back of his head as he spoke, "No, not really. Decided to get some fresh air after waking up and I found you here. Wanted to see if you maybe wanted to chat."

"I don't chat," Lon'qu frowned.

"Right…" Chrom awkwardly looked away, putting his hands in his pockets as he decided what else to say. As the sun climbed into the sky, Chrom felt a little bit warmer, but not due to the heat from the rising orb, but from his embarrassment at the awkward situation.

Lon'qu slowly shook his head and sighed, "You're awful at this." Chrom just stared back as Lon'qu pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to him. The prince's eyebrows raised as he slowly accepted the letter.

"What's this?" Chrom asked as he looked upon the writing.

"Marth handed it to me. We were planning to spar today, however she seemed to be in a hurry. She told me to give it to you once you had regained consciousness."

Chrom had a suspicious look on his face as he began to read.

_Dear Prince Chrom,_

_If you are reading this then it means you have woken up and are well. Good. I apologize in advance for my sudden disappearance, however I have other matters that require my attention. I will keep this letter brief. The success in defending the exalt during last night's attempted assassination has a much higher impact than you realize. What we just accomplished has not only secured Ylisse's security, but the security of the entire world. I say this in confidence because of the future I have seen and my knowledge behind each action. Whether or not you believe me now is up to you. What's done is done, and I thank you for your help. With the upcoming war that looms before Ylisse, I pray you good luck in your endeavours. And perhaps one day our paths will cross again... _

_With my love and support,_

Chrom flipped the paper over looking for Marth's name, quickly scanning everywhere, even in areas that made no sense. After multiple searches the prince looked up, finding Lon'qu had already resumed his training.

"Marth didn't sign their name," Chrom called out.

Lon'qu kept slashing, "It means little to me. I have not read the letter."

Chrom looked back at the parchment in his hand, "That's strange," he spoke to himself.

"What's strange?" a voice behind him asked.

Chrom turned around and smiled as he found Ian walking towards him, the tactician smiling back.

"Looks like you got up too. Guess even cold-stone injuries can't keep us done," Ian joked as he finally stopped walking. "You good?"

"I'm good," Chrom responded, "Lon'qu had to smack me in the back a couple minutes ago, but the pain's all gone. Now we just have the rest of the day we have to worry about."

Ian nodded, "Aye, that we do," he looked at the letter in Chrom's hand and asked, "What do you have there?"

Chrom handed the letter over as Ian began to read, the prince crossing his arms, "It's a letter from Marth. Looks like he, I mean she, mysteriously walked off again, gods know where off to this time."

Ian raised an eyebrow as he finished reading, "Strange fellow, isn't she?"

"Indeed," Chrom nodded. "But she helped us save Emm from a would-be assassin battalion last night. Whoever she is, she definitely isn't an enemy."

"A friend, perhaps?" Ian asked.

"I would assume so," Chrom putting his hands behind his head, "She may have her secrets, but she is definitely using them to help. We'll let her have her space for now. I have a feeling that's not going to be the last we see of her."

Ian nodded, handing the letter back to Chrom. "So what's the plan now?"

Chrom stashed the letter away in this back pocket and spoke, "Normally I leave the planning to you. But for right now I plan on visiting Emm. See how's she doing. After that I'm going to have to convince her to join us on our trip back to Regna Ferox. I don't feel safe leaving her here."

"Good plan."

"It's a start," Chrom said, walking pass Ian and towards the inside of the castle. "But knowing Emm, she is going to be against it."

"Need any help?" Ian asked.

"That would be nice," Chrom answered, turning his head to the practicing swordsman in the distance. "Lon'qu, want to come along?" Lon'qu stayed silent and continued training.

"Hmm, guess not," Chrom shrugged, "Well, come on, Ian. We have work to do."

Ian smiled as he caught up to Chrom, "As always," Lon'qu's grunts echoed off into the distance as the two made their way back inside. Ian then spoke up, "Hey, did you know I can apparently read Plegian?"

"Plegian?" Chrom asked, "That's new."

"Yeah, must have forgotten I knew it when I lost my memories," Ian held the door open for Chrom.

Chrom stopped walking and crossed his arms, staring back at Ian, "You first."

Ian's eyes lowered, "You're kidding me."

"Nope," replied Chrom, shaking his head. "You first." Ian made a face and shook his head as he walked inside. A smiling Chrom following suit. "So Plegian, eh? That's going to be useful when the fighting starts."

"Indeed," Ian agreed. "It makes me wonder if there are any other languages I can read."

"Only common," Chrom answered, a confused Ian looking back at him. "There are only two written languages. Plegian," Chrom marked off, "And common."

"So Ylisseans just call it 'common'?" Ian asked.

"Common is the written language of Ylisse, Regna Ferox, Valm, and any other country that isn't Plegia," Chrom explained. "Plegia has their own alphabet whose sole purpose is to write 'Up yours' to everyone else without them knowing. They're strange like that," Chrom shrugged.

"Hmm," Ian thought out loud, "Guess that makes things a little bit easier if we ever plan to travel abroad."

"It works," Chrom agreed.

"Guess so," Ian said softly, taking out the journal of the dead mage and began to skim through a few pages.

Chrom looked over as he saw his friend reading the text in his hands, "Already back to strategizing?" he joked.

Ian smiled as he continued to skim, "It's a journal actually. Looks like it was from the guy that knocked you out cold."

"And left you a few bruises," Chrom lightly retorted, laughing. "Think you can read me a few passages? I'm actually kind of curious."

"Sure. But later," Ian stopped walking, the door to Exalt Emmeryn's room stood right before them. "First we need to talk to your older sister."

"Right," Chrom stretched, opening the doors as he walked inside. Ian began to follow, but as he was about to close the journal, a passage caught his eye which contained only one sentence. The passage read:

**_February 15, Year 1619_**

_I found them._

* * *

**Chapter 2 is now done. I apologize for the slow chapter but unfortunately, such chapters are necessary in terms of plot. As for the dates in the guy's journal (I'm very sure you guys know who he is), these are estimates of what I've picked up in my searches, as the timeline in _Awakening _is not specifically mentioned. However, if you guys know of a more specific time frame in which the game is set in, please let me know. Well, if there is anything in this story that can be changed or improved, also let me know about that. Reviews give me a better idea on what I need to work with, but it's also a good boost to morale as well. Anyways, thanks for reading and I'll see you guys next time. **


	4. Chapter 3: Desert Sands

**Hey, everyone. Chapter 3 is finally up. This chapter could have come out a lot sooner, but my school, which works on a quarter system, started just about last week. Been incredibly busy, and I won't lie, updates will come out less often. But nonetheless, I will keep updating. I just want to thank you guys for the reviews so far, it makes me incredibly happy to know that people are actually reading my story and are actually enjoying it. I'll try my best to make this story as good as it possibly can, as well as to improve my writing style. And with that, I thank you guys from the bottom of my heart. Thank you, and I hope you guys enjoy.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Desert Sands**

Through the early dawn of a sunless morning, a caravan of hooded warriors marched through the desert sands, searching for a prize that existed far beyond their reach.

It was a time for travel and it was a time for thought...

"_Ylisstol… has fallen."_

A gust of wind blew, sending dust into the caravan's face, but the man that lead the group did not flinch as the grains began to fly. His cape whipped violently through the wind and his hood fell as he made his way. Chrom trudged ever quicker through the sands, his hands in a fist as he marched.

"_The Plegians captured your exalt and retreated back across their lines… She is to be executed within the moon."_

Chrom continued his walk.

A couple feet away, Ian and Frederick watched as Chrom kept a consistent pace ahead of the main group, his solitary walk beginning not long after the Shepherds had left camp an hour before. Frederick walked beside his steed as her hoofs struggled through the shifting terrain, the great knight's hand on her reins as he led her forward. Ian kept his hands in his pockets as he scanned the horizon, shivering as the empty wind brushed right through him and onto the group with each passing stroke.

The tactician stopped scanning and watched the back of his friend ahead as they continued their march. He then turned his head towards Frederick and spoke, "I'm worried about him."

Frederick sighed, "The news hit milord hard. He is eager but restless. I just pray his head cools before we reach the capital."

Ian looked back at Chrom, the solitary figure still marching ahead. He then remembered a statement he had made a couple nights before and repeated the phrase, "He is a determined man. Doing what he believes is right, with his family in mind," Ian paused, "...Just like his father."

Frederick gave the tactician an inquisitive look and opened his mouth, but paused and closed it once more. He then let out a slow sigh, "I suppose I shouldn't be all surprised then. He told you, didn't he?" the knight motioned to Chrom.

Ian took off his hood and answered, "Yeah."

Frederick nodded, "I spoke with milord's father a couple of times in the past. Before his… unexpected end. It is true with what you say, he takes after his father in so many ways, but just in as many ways, he is also vastly different," he faced Ian. "It is milord's presence. Something about him that makes him stand apart from the rest. It is not something I can merely describe in words. Though reckless could be one of them," Ian smiled at the remark. "But it is there, the difference is there, it is subtle, but it exists."

Ian nodded as Frederick continued, "I remind myself of that difference almost everyday when I look after those two. And I suppose because of that reminder today leads me to believe that milord will return to himself, even now." Ian smiled as he begun to pick up his pace, and very soon broke into a run after his friend.

Chrom turned as he felt someone slap him on the shoulder, he turned his head to find his white haired friend smirking back at him. The prince gave him a look of annoyance for a second, but then closed his eyes and let out a sigh, shaking his head and smiling once more as his eyes reopened. He lightly punched Ian on the shoulder as the latter chuckled. Chrom chuckled too in response. The two walked in silence for a couple of moments as they looked ahead into the sky. Ian putting his hands back in his pockets and head still facing forward, spoke as he reassured his friend, "Don't worry, Chrom. We'll get her back."

Chrom closed his eyes once again as he inhaled and slowly exhaled, smiling in confidence once more. The orange glow of the morning sun broke through the horizon as his eyes opened, "Yeah… I know we will."

* * *

The two pegasus knights watched as the sun rose in the east and the moon setting in the west; for in that very small span of a moment, the two orbs existed together within the same realm. The lights and glow of the sun formed shades of red etched in pink as it stood to one side of the sky; the luminescence and fade of the blue moon falling to the other. The white clouds of both the sun and the moon danced across the planet's atmosphere as they held the hands of the newborn day and the sleeping night in a marvelous pink. The earth below reflected the eastern and westerly lights across its desert surface; like a child together with their mother and father.

Sumia looked on in awe as she watched the passing of the heavenly lights, mesmerized at the beauty that existed before her. So rare was the sight that even as she rode near the crown of the world, tears formed at the edge of her eyes. She wiped them away as she looked to her side, finding her friend, Cordelia, was just in as much awe as she was.

Sumia smiled to her friend, "Isn't it beautiful? I guess even Plegia can have a beauty such as this."

The wings of the two pegasus continued to flap while Cordelia stroked her own, nodding as she spoke, "Yeah, I guess so…" looking back down to the earth. "I just wish _they_ could be here to see it."

Sumia sighed as she turned back to the changing horizon, "...I know. I wish they were here too," Cordelia turned to her and gave Sumia a strange look as the latter continued to watch the sky. "I may have never met your friends, but they must have meant a lot to you if it makes you feel this way."

Tears formed at Cordelia's eyes for a split second before she blinked them away. She soon brought out a small brass telescope and brought it to her eye, watching the terrain for any movement. Sumia watched as Cordelia looked, and after a couple of moments the red haired knight set the scope down and put it away.

Sumia asked, "What did you see?"

"A spire, about a league away. We should make it there in about an hour if we continue at this pace," Cordelia answered.

Sumia brought out her own scope and saw just that, a rock formation that speared itself into the sky at an altitude that leveled with their own. The brown haired knight set her scope down just as Cordelia began to descend, "Come on, Sumia. Lets head back to the others, report what we find before any Plegians notice the flying pegasus in wyvern territory."

Sumia's face saddened as Cordelia broke off formation. The girl looked back to the horizon, finding that the moon had disappeared and had left behind only the sight of the rising sun. She began her descent, "Oh, Cordelia… I pray you recover soon."

* * *

About an hour later the group reached the spire, finding both safety and shade as they rested beneath the rock's shadow. Ian sat down as he took off his boots, bringing them upsidedown as large piles of sand began to trickle out. Realizing how nice it felt being barefoot at the moment, the tactician leaned back and yawned, deciding to take a short nap on the slab of rock he sat upon as he brought his hands together behind his head.

After a couple moments of peace, a girlish voice woke him up, "Boy, you sure like taking naps on the ground."

Keeping his eyes shut, the tactician answered back, "Don't hate it before you try it. It's actually pretty comfortable down here, Lissa."

Lissa gave Ian a sheepish look as he continued in his attempt to sleep. The young princess then grabbed a handful of sand as she dropped the piles on the tactician's face. Ian immediately sat up as he wiped away at the sand, spitting as a few grains found their way into his mouth. "What in blazes was that for?" he yelled.

Lissa gave Ian a large grin, "I thought it would be funny… and it was."

Ian continued spitting, "Damn it! Why can't you let me sleep in peace?"

"Because I'm bored," Lissa answered. She then brought forward a jug of water, "Thirsty?" Ian gave Lissa a weary look as he slowly grabbed the jug. He brought the pitcher to his lips as he began to rinse, pausing for a moment as he contemplated whether to spit the water out or to swallow. He gave a mental sigh as he went with the latter option, the grains of sand traveling with the liquid.

Lissa smiled, "Better?" Ian grumbled as he gave back the pitcher and crossed his arms.

Lissa then put her hand on Ian's head and began to pat his hair, "There, there. It wasn't that bad."

"Why do you do this to me?" Ian asked rhetorically. Lissa laughed as she continued to pat his head.

Chrom walked around the corner of the spire, turning around to find his younger sister annoying a fuming Ian. He smiled at the sight, "Lissa picking on you again, Ian?"

Ian nodded. "He looks kind of like Lon'qu right now, doesn't he, Chrom?" Lissa remarked.

Chrom laughed as Ian continued to sit, evoking a "Not funny," response from the young man. Chrom sat down next to Ian and let out a heavy breath, just as exhausted from the march as everyone else, "So, how long until we reach the capital?"

Ian reached for his boots as he decided to put them back on, answering as he did so, "At the rate we're going at, we'll probably reach there around late afternoon, early evening. Don't like the idea of marching under this dreaded sun however."

Chrom nodded, "We were told Emm would be executed within the moon, so time is of the essence. We need to get there as soon as possible, sun or no."

"We're going to get sis back," Lissa spoke with a determined look on her face.

Ian brought out a couple of documents and laid them out in front of them, "Miriel let me borrow some of these, and from what I can see, Plegia's castle, much like Ylisstol's, lies in the very back of the capital. A frontal assault is out of the question, so we'll have to attack from the rear."

"They'll expect an attack from behind though, they know no one is foolish enough to go for a straight on assault," Chrom replied.

Ian nodded, "That's true. Without a doubt they'll be expecting us, but…" he paused.

Chrom waited a moment then raised an eyebrow, "But…?"

"Remember that day when Gangrel declared war on Ylisse? Well, what was he demanding for the entire time?"

"He wanted the Fire Emblem, but Emm wouldn't give it to him, "Chrom answered then paused once more as he thought, looking down as he put his finger to his lip. His head slowly shifted up in realization, "So that's what the trap is for."

"Mmhmm," Ian confirmed. "Normally during wartime, or even peacetime for that matter, a country patrols their borders in case of an attack. And even though we were very careful to sneak into Plegia unnoticed, none of us has spotted even one patrol. No ground patrol and no air patrol. Nothing."

Chrom was silent as he picked up a pile of sand and dropped it again in the same spot, repeating this motion once or twice, "Damn. I'd like to believe that it was our cunning that got us this far without being spotted," he turned to Ian. "They must all be at the capital waiting for us then."

Ian nodded in agreement, "Nonetheless, it's still a desert, so mobility is not going to our strong suit. A majority of their forces are going to be air combatants in order to have the speed and air advantage over us."

"But that also means they'll be more delicate. Fliers have a hard time fighting multiple opponents at once," Chrom added.

"We'll have to create a defensive wall: Those that can block their attacks will be on the outer rim. Mages and archers in the center. It would be suicide for their air units to go for the middle," Ian wrote down. "We'll be slow and we'll be an easy target. So I advise staying away from the castle ramparts until we reach the courtyard," Ian made little markings in the sand. "Once all of their fliers are dealt with, we'll send Cordelia, Sumia, and two of our most capable fighters to deal with their ranged units on the ramparts. The rest of us will go through the front gates to fight off their ground forces," Ian finished drawing. "At that point we should have the advantage and all will be straightforward from there."

Chrom nodded slowly as he went over the plan again in his head, thinking for a bit, "Will it be enough to get Emm out of there alive? There could be another trap in there we haven't thought of."

"If there is," Ian started putting the documents and notes away, "Then the best we can do is prepare for the worst. I may be good at strategizing but I can't read minds. There may be more things I haven't thought of. I'll come up with a few more ideas on our way there."

Chrom gave a soft smile, "I trust you, Ian. We couldn't have gotten this far without you. Whatever plan you come up with, I'll gladly follow."

Ian smiled back, "Thank you, Chrom."

"Me too!" Lissa jumped in as she went back to patting Ian on his head.

Chrom laughed as the two resumed their antics, but was soon cut short when Frederick walked in on the scene. The three turned their heads to the great knight as he began to speak, "Milord, our scouts report some manner of engagement downfield."

Chrom looked to Ian then back to Frederick, "Engagement? The Feroxi troops are still quite a ways behind us."

"Actually, milord," Frederick spoke, "It would appear the combatants are neither traditional Plegian nor Feroxi soldiers. Certainly not Ylissian either."

"Could be a random skirmish then," Ian suggested.

Chrom got up, "Whatever it is, we'll check it out. See if we can help."

"Are you sure, milord?" Frederick asked. "Going into an unnecessary fight can both exhaust our forces and needlessly slow down our trip to the capital."

Chrom looked at Ian who was standing up as well, "It's your call, Chrom."

Chrom nodded in response, "That it is. Come on, lets check it out."

* * *

Chrom, Ian, and Frederick walked over to a sand dune occupied by Gaius and Lon'qu. The two scouts looking downrange toward the situation below. Gaius looked behind him as Chrom approached, the former pointing over the dune, "It's over this ridge. Seems like less of fight and more of a chase, really." Chrom walked over to the top of the ridge as everyone began to watch the scene before them.

A young girl with greenish blonde hair that appeared to be around the age of ten was being chased by a much older looking man with light brown hair. As the girl ran she kept picking up piles of sand and throwing them back into the man's face. Eventually on the third throw the man tripped as he reached to block the grains and the little girl sprinted away as fast as she could. The group continued to watch as the girl rounded the corner of a large boulder, reaching for her knees and gasping for air in exhaustion. Eventually the man caught up to her and the girl screamed, throwing sand at him once again.

Everyone watched the shouting match, with Lissa leaning over to Chrom and asking, "What's going on?"

"Is this some sort of comedic act?" Ian asked, scratching his head.

"I'm not entirely sure…" Gaius replied. "Is… this suppose to be funny?" his eyes switching back and forth between Chrom and the others.

"...and some big weirdo is trying to kill me!" came a yell from the young girl, the sound of her screaming traveling over the long distance.

Chrom sighed as he inched himself a little bit closer to the edge of the dune, "Well, if it's a joke, it's not a very funny one," he cupped his hands together and set them to his mouth, "Hey you there! Fiend! Keeps your hands off that maiden!"

The man's head suddenly perked up as he heard Chrom yell, with the young girl now proceeding to kick sand at the man's feet, "Who is fiend? ...You mean Gregor? No, friend! You have idea wrong!"

Lissa walked up next to Chrom and cupped her hands as well, shouting back, "Yeah right! Creep!" Ian, Gaius, and Lon'qu watched with uneasy looks on their faces as they watched the shouting match between Chrom, Lissa, and the brown haired man. Frederick simply closed his eyes and slowly shook his head.

The man yelled back, looking a bit saddened at the situation, "This day has been nothing but insults and- OOF!" The man knelt over as the young girl punched him in the stomach. "...and punches to groin..." he groaned. "And all for doing good deed!" he turned to the girl who was about to begin another fury of punches, "Wait! Listen, friend! Gregor only want to-!"

The winds surrounding the area began to blow, kicking up the ground into a sandy torrent. The dry air blew past the brown haired man as he looked back, covering his face from the sands. The young girl screamed and the Shepherds shielded their eyes as well. An intense swishing sound was made as the wind rushed passed their ears.

Ian used his arms to shield himself from the sands, but through the swishing of the winds, he heard another sound. Something akin to that of a soft whisper. With his right arm still covering his face, Ian's left hand slowly moved up to his ear and softly touched it, still hearing the quiet talking.

The winds subsided and the whispers Ian heard slowly faded away. Everyone looked up.

There was a wall of sand and black silhouettes began to emerge from the haze. Men in black cloaks on horseback stepped forward, their lances facing the sky. On foot emerged other hooded individuals, their heads facing down as they appeared unarmed. In the center of the group stood an old woman with a cover and clothe that shielded the back of her neck from the desert sun; a grotesquely shaped, wooden staff in her hands.

The Shepherds watched as the unknown group faced the man and the young girl. Two of the men on horseback slowly began stepping forward, but soon broke into a run as they brought their lances forward.

Everyone back at the dune watched in horror as the horses quickly covered the distance despite the shifting sands. The distance between the ridge they stood upon and the two individuals below was too great.

"Frederick!" a yell came from behind. Everyone turned their heads as they found Sumia atop her pegasus galloping towards them, her hand reaching out towards the great knight as he instinctively grabbed ahold and jumped on. The two rushed ahead as everyone watched in awe.

Sumia's pegasus cut through the wind as they made their way to the man and the young girl. The winged beast dive bombed toward the earth and Frederick jumped off, yelling as he brought his lance through the chest of the first rider. Sumia brought her pegasus around and rammed her lance through the back of the second horseman. The two Shepherds recovered and nodded toward each other as they took their stances, facing the opposing forces.

The Shepherds that stood upon the ridge were in shock at what they had just witnessed. Lissa questioned aloud, "Frederick?"

The shock on Chrom's face faded as he slowly smirked, shaking his head, "Never thought you'd throw caution to the wind like that, Frederick."

Cordelia then appeared on the dune behind them, a frantic look on the pegasus knight's face, "Excuse me, but have any of you seen where Sumia is?"

Everyone looked at each other as Ian slowly answered, "She's on the field right now. She and Frederick are facing the enemy as we speak."

"What?" Cordelia's face paled. "Why is she…? Did you order her to…?"

"No," Chrom answered. "She took the initiative on her own," he placed his hand on Cordelia's shoulder. "Guess she is becoming more confident."

Cordelia blushed.

Chrom then turned to Ian and called his name. The tactician nodded, facing Gaius and Lon'qu. "Gather everyone together. We have a fight on our hands. Tell them to move quickly, everyone is to meet at the bottom of this dune, right now." The two men departed. Ian looked back at Chrom.

Chrom stared back, "Time to test that strategy of yours."

Ian nodded and slowly exhaled, "Yeah. Yes it is."

* * *

The Shepherds stood in formation at the bottom of the giant sand dune, watching as the unknown forces charged at Frederick, Sumia, the man, and the young girl several hundred yards ahead of them. Ian turned towards them, "We need to regroup with Frederick and Sumia! Once we reach them, I want everyone to create a defensive wall around our mages and archers. We will make our way over to the opposing forces as they try to break themselves against us," he turned to the field, ready to run, "Move as fast as you can!"

Chrom lifted Falchion into the air, "Alright! Lets move!" Every one of the Shepherds broke into a run, screaming at the top of their lungs.

* * *

Sumia and Frederick turned around as they heard the war cries, the pegasus knight smiling to herself, "Cavalry's coming."

Frederick nodded, his lance still pointing forward, "Then we will hold our position until they get here," he turned to Sumia and smiled, "Though I never thought you'd be so bold."

Sumia smiled back in response, "Just trying to be more useful. Help out Chrom in any way I can," she looked away, "It's what I'm learning from you."

Frederick stared at her in astonishment, but then looked back at the charging forces, gripping his lance tighter.

"Gregor and little girl will help!" the brown hair man yelled.

The two Shepherds turned around with Frederick raising his eyebrow, "The little girl?"

"Ah!" Gregor confirmed. "Little girl is actually not so little. Not what you be expecting!"

Frederick and Sumia turned to the girl who held a small blue orb in her hand. The pink in her eyes changed to that of a flaming green. Her back stretched back as her body exploded into a mist of colors, replaced by a large golden dragon mixed with emerald green. The dragon roared into the sky.

The man grinned as he unsheathed his sword, "She is manakete! Let them make with the breaking against us now!"

Frederick and Sumia stared in awe. The young woman letting out a resounding, "Huh…"

* * *

The charging Shepherds watched from afar as they ran towards their comrades, the sight of the dragon appearing out of nowhere slowed a couple of them down.

"What the hell?" Ian breathed. "That girl is a dragon!"

"By the gods, she a manakete!" Chrom exclaimed. "I'd never thought I'd see one!"

"Looks like she doesn't need as much help as we thought she did!" Ian yelled.

"But I'm willing to bet we'll need hers!" Chrom replied. "Lets keep moving!"

The two groups finally met one another, regrouping into a defensive wall against the charging cavalier. The opposing rider's lances bounced off the armor of the forward knights; the Shepherds smashing back as Ian, Ricken, Miriel, and Virion shot their artillery into the air.

The hooded figures by the old woman then straightened their backs as they took out their tomes. Beginning their fire towards the slow moving wall as their rider brethren fell. The Shepherds watched as the wave of spells headed in their direction, the dangerously varied power of the elements threatening to rip the armored wall apart.

"Hold!" Ian yelled over the sound of the whistling artillery. The spells smashed against the armored Shepherds; explosions came as the knights screamed. Smoke filled the air.

The dust finally cleared after a couple of seconds, the sound of coughing Shepherds filled the air. They barely had any time to recover when they heard the whistle of a second volley. Ian yelled as he shot a ball of fire into the air, "Disperse! Now!"

The wall disappeared as the armored Shepherds teleported from the field one by one, leaving those left behind to run or duck for cover. Ian ran forward throwing fireballs into the air, sliding with his knees to a small sand dune for cover. He screamed, "Cordelia! Sumia! Take them out!"

Gaius jumped aboard Sumia's pegasus and Lon'qu with Cordelia. The four rushed forward toward the magi line, taking the heat off the exposed Shepherds. Gregor watched from a distance and turned to the manakete and waved his arms, "Oi! Little girl!"

The dragon turned her head, her voice rippling through the air, "Huh?"

"I know you no trust Gregor, but friends need our help!" he pointed toward the pegasus riders. "We move with them!"

The dragon girl paused for a moment as she hovered over the sands, then enthusiastically replied, "Okay!"

Gregor jumped aboard the dragon's back and pulled out his sword and pointed it into the air, screaming, "Let us go!" The pair rushed forward, aiding in the attack on the distracted magi.

Chrom looked up as the volley of spells lessened, turning to Ian who was ahead of him and the tactician looked back, yelling his name, "Chrom!"

The prince nodded and stood back up, yelling as well, "Recover!" All the Shepherds within the vicinity stood back up, taking their weapons back out as Chrom pointed his in the air, "Move!" The charge began once more, the screaming more intense as the warriors seeked retribution for the hellfire they endured. Gaius, Sumia, Cordelia, Lon'qu, Nowi, and Gregor continued to distract the mages as they moved fiercely through their ranks, cutting each of them down with a savage fury. The rest of the Shepherds arrived, soon crushing any survivors.

The old woman remained, standing still as the rest of her comrades fell. Her right hand gripping her staff as she pulled out a tome with her left. The Shepherds stood cautiously still, sweat dripping down their brows as they faced the unflinching woman.

She began to chant.

The winds in the region began to pick up at a violent pace, threatening to throw all who stood off their feet. The pegasus knights struggled against the winds as they tried to reach the ground. The skies began to darken and a marvelous sand storm formed behind the woman, rushing forward at incredible speeds and devouring all those that stood within its path.

Every one of the Shepherds struggled forward, each step taking tremendous effort as they inched their way forward toward the woman several yards away.

Ian yelled as he pulled out a tome, but the violent winds quickly ripped the book out of his hands as it disappeared in the background. The tactician's eyes widened in horror as he watched the rushing sandstorm, and within a couple moment's time, each and every one of them would be buried alive. He screamed in frustration.

From out of the blue, the dragon flew overhead with Gregor gripping tightly onto her wing, the two screaming at the top of their lungs as they neared the woman.

A ball of light formed in the dragon's mouth.

The sandstorm stood fifty yards away from the old woman.

Gregor yelled, "FIRE!" and the ball of energy flew from the manakete's mouth.

The old woman looked to the sky and screamed, "Grima!"

The sandstorm reached forward, engulfing the woman's back.

There was an explosion of light and a scream of agony echoed with the winds.

...And for a moment time stood still.

The power that urged the sandstorm forward suddenly died. The titan of sand collapsed as it toppled forward, crashing into the earth beneath its feet. Everyone that stood before it tried to run, but despite its shrinkage, the natural colossus still stood at several hundred feet.

Those furthest away from the dying sand teleported from the scene, sounds that sucked the wind became a buzz. But the sands still fell, and those that couldn't be saved were buried beneath the dying corpse. Ian covered his face in a pathetic attempt to protect himself. His sight and hearing became numb.

* * *

The tactician gasped for air as he finally awoke, the sight of Sully and Maribelle leaning over him and the desert sun rushing between the two.

Sully, who looked incredibly beat from the artillery, turned her head and yelled, "Hey! We finally found him!" Ian began coughing uncontrollably.

Maribelle patted him on the back, "There, there now. You're alive. Come, sit up, Ian. Let that air in. Breathe." she gently watched over him as she kneeled at his side, her staff on the ground a few inches away. Sweat covered the noblewoman's face, but even then, she kept a dignified look about her.

Ian coughed, almost of the verge of choking, "Agh… rah! Tsuha… Is everyone…. hah… Is everyone alright?" the man coughing once more.

"Yes," Maribelle answered, still patting his back, "Everyone is fine. You were the last one we dug up."

Ian eventually stopped coughing, unable to speak as he slowly nodded. Maribelle handed him a waterskin and Ian drank as quickly as he could, breaking into another fit of coughs once again.

"Not so quickly," Maribelle warned. "Even in a moment like this, it is very much uncouth to drink in such a manner." Ian grunted.

Chrom rushed up to him, a look of relief on his face, "Ian! Are you alright?"

Ian nodded as he tried to stand up, "Yeah…"

Chrom grabbed his friend's hand as he pulled him back to his feet. He waited for a moment as Ian tried to regain his breath, "Looks like it worked."

Ian recovered, "To a degree. It didn't exactly worked out as planned," he paused. "I need to work out the kinks. We almost died out there."

Chrom nodded and placed his hand on Ian's shoulder, "Almost. But we didn't. Don't be too hard on yourself, it worked out as well as it could despite being only a rough draft," Ian nodded and turned his head to face the two figures of the brown haired man and the young girl in the distance, Chrom followed his gaze. "The guy's name is Gregor. He's a mercenary for hire. High price but he's skilled. He'll be coming along with us."

Ian nodded, "Right..."

Chrom continued, "The young girl, as we found out, is a manakete. Her name is Nowi. She will also be helping us in our journey."

Ian continued to watch the two, "Looks like the two of them made up?"

"Yeah," Chrom confirmed. "Looks like it was all a big misunderstanding. Nowi thought Gregor was trying to kidnap her and sell her on the black market, turns out he was just helping her escape. Funny how things work out."

Ian nodded once more, "Yeah…" he faced Chrom. "So who were those guys?"

Chrom looked back at the bloody bodies that strewn about the field, half buried in the sand. He solemnly answered, "Grimleal."

"What?" Ian asked. "You mean like the ones from the documents?"

"Mmhmm," Chrom replied. "I'll tell you more about what we found out on the trip to the capital. Despite our injuries we need to keep pressing on. The execution will be starting soon."

"Damn it," Ian muttered. He exhaled, "You're right, we need to keep moving. Lets head back to camp, gather our things. We wasted enough time as it is."

Chrom nodded, "C'mon, lets hurry."

Ian began to follow Chrom, but turned his head when he again heard the sounds of a soft whisper. "Can you repeat that, Chrom?"

Chrom turned back to Ian, a tad confused, "I didn't say anything."

"Huh…" Ian muttered.

_...They're coming!_

"I probably just have sand stuck in my ear then."

_...Go! We'll act as rearguard. Go back to the capital! Protect it at all costs!_

"Come on, let's go," Ian continued his walk with Chrom back to the camp.

The Shepherds all walked back to camp, along with their two new members. Their bodies ached, but they were ready to resume their journey. Through the valley of the desert that bled of death.

_...Thank you… And good luck. We won't forget this sacrifice..._

* * *

**Despite my busy schedule, this chapter had been incredibly fun to write. I understand there are a few discrepancies in this chapter. Such as the final boss in the level this chapter takes places in is actually male. I initially tried to write the boss as a male, but looking at their portrait, I just couldn't. Looks too much like an old woman for me to write as a male, so I just changed their gender. I also enjoyed writing with some of the focus on the other Shepherds as opposed to just Ian. Brings out a bit more variety. So, there we go. Hope you enjoyed and I'll see you guys next time. **


	5. Chapter 4: Sacrifice

**Hello again, everyone. I apologize sincerely. It has been about a month since my last update and for most of that month this story has been left mostly untouched. School plus work has been exceptionally draining in which I'm out from six in the morning to seven in the evening everyday. And when I finally do get home, I have nothing but homework waiting for me. So yeah. Again, I'm sorry. There's my pity sob story. In other words, this chapter took a long time to write but was a lot of fun as well. A warning before hand, there is a bit of fairly violent scenes in this chapter. I hope you enjoy. **

* * *

**Chapter 4: Sacrifice**

Nine figures stood in a darkened room, their heads facing downwards with their eyes closed as they chanted a quiet prayer. There was a body of a late priest covered in a sheet that laid in the middle of the room. A young woman was kneeling by the passing man, her eyes closed as she sniffled, her hand holding her dead friend's hand.

"...thank you, Naga, for all you have done and for all you have continued to do. May Erik spend everlasting peace in your heaven and in your grace... Thank you," a bald, dark skinned priest softly spoke. "And in Naga's name we pray, amen."

"Amen," everyone in the room spoke.

"...Amen," the young cleric by the man quietly let out. There was a moment of pause when she finally stood up, trying to wipe away her tears as she continued to sniffle. Another female priest with dark hair walked up to the still crying woman, turned her around and embraced her. Her hand stroking the crying woman's long, blonde hair as the latter cried into her shoulder.

"It's alright, Leah. It's alright," the woman soothingly spoke.

Leah continued to cry, "H-he was the fifth one to go, Naomi. It has only been a day and half of us are already gone. Kaiden, Hannah, Amelia, Glenn, and now... Erik…" her hands gripped Naomi's clothing. She sniffled, "...They're all gone."

Naomi continued to rub Leah's back as the bald headed priest stepped forward, placing his hand on Leah's shoulder. Leah looked up as she turned her head towards him, the man giving her a soft smile, "They're not truly gone, Leah. They're still with us, they're just watching us from heaven's gates. That's all."

Leah sniffed once more, "...Yeah." The others in the room watched Leah as she tried to wipe away her tears, staring because she was the only one brave enough to show how they all truly felt.

A short, blonde haired boy stared intently at Erik's body on the floor, his hands clenched in a fist as he bit his lip. Thoughts ran through his head, thoughts on how much they had lost in so little time. The incredibly beautiful Amelia who could charm an entire room with her songs. The plain, yet humble Hannah who cooked up the tastiest of recipes. The tall and kind Kaiden who along with his wife would spend entire days helping the villages. The boastful and comedic Glenn, a person you wouldn't imagine as a priest but could always turn the gloomiest of rooms into that full of dying laughter minutes later.

"_Something we'd need right now," _the boy thought.

And finally the troublesome but adventurous Erik, a man the young boy looked up to. A man known for always getting into trouble by climbing the church bell tower in order to skip service and for constantly talking about how he planned to one day join the Shepherds.

* * *

"_Hey, Aaron!" _

"_Erik?"_

"_You know how I'm always talking about traveling and seeing what excitement life has in store for me?"_

"_Um… alright?" _

"_Well, I've been thinking. A life full of adventure isn't exactly something you can just jump into. If you want to see the world, you'll have look at all the little details first. Get an appreciation of what life has to offer. Smell the flowers along the way so to speak. So, I was thinking of starting small, but in a big way. I'm planning on joining Ylisse's most famous Shepherds!" _

"_The Shepherds? Erik, are you crazy? Joining the Shepherds isn't something you can exactly jump into either!"_

"_I admit, it won't be easy. So that's why I'll need a partner. And Aaron, I want you to be that partner!"_

"_Y-you want me to join the Shepherds? With you? But what about the church?"_

"_Oh, they'll be fine. Right now we have a calling! And the Shepherds right now is that calling! So, Aaron, what do you say? Will you join me in this most glorious of quests... partner?"_

"_Partner…? Erik… you know. I mean you're always so out there, it's almost like nothing runs through your head. You never seem to think what the consequences might do. But... you know what? I guess the same goes for me. Lets do it!" _

"_Excellent! Apparently we're at war with Plegia right now. So once the Shepherds come back from Regna Ferox with reinforcements, off we'll go! Off to become Shepherds! Both you and me!"_

* * *

Aaron's nails dug deeper into his palms as he began to choke back tears. He gritted his teeth as he quietly spoke, "Damn it… Erik. Why did you have to die? We were supposed to join the Shepherds together. You said we were… you said we were..." Aaron slowly stopped, unable to finish his sentence as tears began to slide down his face. His world at that moment was shattered. The young priest cried in silence but soon stopped when he felt the warmth of someone's hand grasping onto his left shoulder.

Aaron looked up, staring into the face of his friend Libra, an incredibly beautiful man with long, silky, blonde hair and a face that could have been akin to that of angels. Libra stared down at the young priest, his hand resting firm against the boy's shoulder while at the same moment saying nothing. Aaron looked at his friend's hand as it reassured him, and with his own, reached up to grasp it.

Libra's hand grasped Aaron's shoulder and Aaron's hand grasped Libra's arm. It was that connection through simple touch that brought slight comfort to the boy, with the death of Erik still very much on his mind.

They stood there for a moment until Aaron finally looked back up, squeezed Libra's hand and said, "Thank you... I'm fine."

"Are you sure, Aaron?" Libra asked.

"Yeah…" Aaron's hand let go. "Not entirely, but… yeah…"

The two stood in silence once more, watching as Leah try to recover, wiping the tears from her face and getting some of her bearing back. Watching as Naomi stood by, ready to comfort her friend once more should she need to. Watching just how Isaac, Joanna, and Chance stood by in a somber silence just how they were. How the Plegian owner of the house who worshipped Naga grasped his own hands in front of him, quietly nodding. Everyone stood and watched, watching the invisible silence and hearing the drum of their quiet heartbeats.

Eventually the dark, bald headed priest broke the quiet as everyone turned to him. He coughed, "Alright, everyone. It's getting late. We'll leave Erik's body on the floor for now. As for the rest of us, we should get some sleep too."

"Are you sure we should leave his body there, Adam?" Naomi asked. "We could er... lay him on one of the beds."

"No," Adam replied. "You'll need those beds more than him. Besides, that'll be his resting spot for now. He picked it before he… before he…" he paused. "I'd rather not disturb him," Adam let out.

Naomi sighed, "Alright then…" she looked at Erik's body. "It just seems disrespectful I suppose."

"I know," Adam agreed, but let out a small smile. "But, I don't think Erik minds. He would have said it was just like camping anyways," Naomi let out a quiet chuckle and nodded.

"Adam, are we still following through with the plan tomorrow morning?" Isaac asked.

Adam turned to Isaac then looked toward Erik's unbreathing body and let out a slow sigh, "We may have lost half of our friends on the way here, and it wouldn't do them justice if we were to turn tail and run now. But yes, the plan still stands. We'll arrive at the castle courtyard just before the break of dawn. That time the Exalt will be let out of captivity and we'll have a better chance of rescuing her. Just make sure you aren't seen."

Joanna spoke up, "Will the Shepherds be there?" Aaron's head perked up. "Prince Chrom is the Exalt's younger brother. Surely they'll try to rescue her as well."

Adam nodded, "Without a doubt. They're probably right on the outskirts of the capital as we speak. If we manage to rescue the Exalt, we'll pass her along to them to keep her safe."

"Do you want me to head out now and tell them we're in the capital? A joint effort is better than two separate groups," Chance suggested.

"No, you idiot," Naomi turned to him. "We don't even know if they're here or not, plus it's dangerous out there, especially at night."

Chance grinned at her, "Well, sometimes in life you just gotta take a... chance."

Leah spoke up before Naomi could respond, "Shut up…" she smiled, wiping away her tears.

Everyone smiled as well, "Hey, you recovered," Isaac said.

Leah looked back to the floor, "I-I wouldn't say I did. Not yet anyways… but... I still miss them so."

Libra walked up, "Of course you do. We'd expect nothing less from the extremely kind-hearted Leah herself."

Leah smiled in response, "Thank you, Libra."

The Plegian man turned to Adam and quietly spoke up, "It's still pretty late. I suggest turning to bed. You all have a big day tomorrow."

Adam sighed as he gave a nod, "Aye, that we do. And again, thank you for taking us into your home, Castillo. We know it's not easy for you."

Castillo shook it off, "Don't worry. I've already spent my time mourning. And I've learned to finally move on," he gave a small smile.. "They're with Naga now…"

Adam exhaled and bowed his head, then turned toward the group, "Alright then. If there aren't any more questions, we'll do one more prayer then we'll head off to bed. We'll be working before sunrise and we'll need our rest," he turned to Aaron. "Aaron, do you wish to lead the prayer tonight?"

"M-me?" Aaron stammered. "Um… alright. I'll try to do my best." Adam smiled as everyone bowed their heads. "Dear heavenly father…"

From outside the window of the home, were two Plegian scouts crouching on the roof of a neighboring building, noting down the conversation they had just heard from inside. Once the prayer was finished and all of the priests retired to their sleeping quarters, the scouts packed up their things and ran off into the night. Returning to the castle to relay the information of the upcoming operation.

* * *

Moonlight filled the room as it entered the old Plegian home. From the dusty windows the beams entered and angled themselves onto the floor, illuminating the dust as they glittered through their small, humble stage.

The glittering dust existed in the middle of the room, in between two beds that held the still bodies of Libra and Aaron. Libra was sound asleep as Aaron laid in his own bed, his arms at his sides as he stared up at the ceiling. The quiet night becoming an unbearable peace for the young man. He tilted his head upon his pillow and looked toward the window, staring at the spectacle of light and dust dancing in the darkness.

Aaron fidgeted in his bed, constantly taking the covers off of his body and putting them back on. His heart pounding slightly harder than normal in consistency as he struggled to sleep.

But eventually he stopped, his body uncovered by the sheets as he stared back up at the ceiling. His chest slowly rising up and down again as he breathed. The boy then slipped out of his bed and walked over to the window, staring at the full moon as it stared back at him. Standing there in silence while all the same thinking of nothing.

Aaron presently felt no fear, but yet, deep in the back of his consciousness his mind was numb, he cowered at the thought of death. The nagging feeling that this night would be his last.

He heard Libra stir behind him as Aaron looked back, finding his friend sitting up from his bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he stared back him. There was a small awkward silence as the two priests stared back one another; Aaron opening and closing his fists as he stood by the window, and Libra stretching in his bed.

The quiet eventually broke when Libra softly asked, "Are you alright?"

Aaron slowly nodded.

Libra sighed and tried to give a soft smile, shifting in his bed as he struggled to speak, "...There are a lot of things in my life that I am not proud of. Things in my life such as where I'm from, where I've been, and who I am. And while pride be a sin, if I am able to redeem myself tomorrow morning when the Exalt is finally safe…" Libra stared into Aaron's eyes, "That… will be a sin I'll gladly accept."

Aaron stared as his friend continued to speak, "Find something to pride yourself in, pray for this one exception, and tomorrow we'll make it through," Libra smiled, "Do not worry. Pray. And we'll make it through."

Aaron thought to himself after Libra spoke, staring at the moonlight shining on the floor, "_Find my pride, pray, and we'll make it through…"_ He looked up and smiled, his shoulders slowly easing, "_And we'll make it through…"_

"Thank you."

Libra nodded his head, "You're welcome. Now, go to bed, we still have a few more hours. I'll wake you when it's time."

Aaron thanked Libra once more as he climbed back under his covers, staring back at the ceiling as he closed his eyes. His head enjoying the softness of the pillow, feeling the harmony akin to that of a final peace.

He inhaled and then exhaled, opening his eyes slightly once more as he watched the dust dance under the light beams in the dark. Sleep slowly and eventually engulfing the young boy.

* * *

"Spread out. Don't clump together, have your presence be as low as possible," Adam whispered to the group before they all dispersed.

Aaron watched the spread out triangle as he walked in the rear at the base of the formation. His eyes by this point had grown accustomed to the dark as he found Libra with his axe a couple feet away to his left and Leah with her staff about equal distance to the right. Aaron fidgeted with his sword as he scanned his surroundings, pulling the blade out partially and then returning it to the scabbard. Performing this action over and over again.

Naomi, who was about ten feet ahead of Aaron turned around and quietly hushed him, "Aaron, shh! Be quiet. I can hear your sword from over here."

"Sorry," the boy apologized, taking his hand off the hilt. "Just a little nervous."

Naomi sighed and slowly nodded, "It's alright. We all are. Just… just keep it down, alright?"

"Yes, Naomi," Aaron whispered as he looked toward Libra. The war monk turned to him and gave the boy a reassuring smile, mouthing out the words, "Don't worry."

Aaron slowly nodded as he begun to think to himself, "_Find my pride. What makes me proud?" _His thoughts turned to Erik and his enthusiasm to become a part of the Shepherds. The boy nodded once more to himself as he felt a smile tug at the upper corners of his lips, "_The Shepherds. I'll continue your legacy, Erik. Let me pride myself in continuing that," _Aaron uttered a quiet prayer to himself as he spoke of his choice. Feeling a little bit better as he watched his friends around him.

For about half an hour no one spoke as they watched the growing silhouette of a night fallen castle in the distance.

Adam turned his head and spoke to the group behind him, "Mentally prepare yourselves, everyone. We're almost there." A roar was heard from above and everyone looked up, finding a vague triangular shape flying above them.

"Get down!" Adam ordered, still trying to maintain his whisper. Everyone did just that as they plopped their stomachs onto the sand, holding their breaths as the wyvern flew overhead.

The shadow of the winged lizard stood as a darker, more sinister figure against the sky, the flap of its wings echoed to the cowering group despite the incredible distance in altitude. The wyvern moved at an incredibly slow pace as it lazily flew through the sky, turning its body over as its right wing dipped toward the earth.

Joanna gasped, "It has a rider on it," everyone held their breath as they looked fearfully into the sky, the wyvern roared once more as it paralleled itself back to the horizon.

Aaron heard quick whispers from Leah as she quietly prayed to herself, the fear in his heart rising as she spoke.

"Please don't see us… Please don't see us… Oh, gods, please don't see us…"

Aaron bit his lip, closed his eyes, and lowered his face into the sand.

After several, slow agonizing minutes, the sounds of the winged beast quieted as it seemingly disappeared off into the distance.

Chance turned his head up as he no longer found the rider above them, twisting his body back as he tried to find out where the wyvern had disappeared off to.

"Chance, stay down," Isaac spoke through his teeth, his friend cursed in response as he turned his body back to the sand.

The wyvern soon returned, roaring above them as the rider decided to fly once more over their position. Aaron felt like his heart was going to explode in anticipation as he looked over at Libra, his friend's eyes closed and teeth clenched as his lips moved rapidly in silent prayer.

After several more minutes the silhouette grew smaller and smaller as it made its way back to the shadowed castle. The distant echo of a roar fading into the night.

Everyone stayed where they were and slowly let out theirs breaths. Quietly inhaling and exhaling.

Adam turned back to the group and told them to get back up. Everyone did just that as they brushed the sand off their bodies, anxiously looking around for any signs of a second flier.

"Do you think he saw us?" Naomi quietly asked.

"Don't know," Adam responded, his breath heavy, "Come on, lets keep going."

The group continued to walk through the darkened desert, their minds still scrambled from the potential spotting. The shape of the castle grew larger and larger as they got closer to their destination. Their hearts pounding quicker and quicker with each step.

* * *

Everyone stood by the castle walls, their legs sore as they gave themselves a quick moment to rest. Adam looked at the moon as it slowly set toward the horizon. They only had half an hour's worth of time left. He turned to Chance, "You ready?"

Chance took out a crossbow and a grappling hook and grinned, "Always ready."

"Alright," Adam nodded, "We don't have a lot of time. Make sure it's safe up there first before you go."

"Yeah, yeah," Chance waved it off. The blonde haired priest aimed his bow and fired the projectile over the rampart walls, a satisfying clink was heard as the grapple made contact.

Chance tugged on the rope for a bit to check the slack. Once he was satisfied it was safe to proceed, he began his climb up the fifty foot wall.

Everyone watched as the most agile member of the group climbd the wall as quickly as he could, but when he reached the halfway point, a familiar roar was heard and everyone's hearts sank.

Chance frantically looked around as he felt a brush of wind moved past him.

The roar was heard again.

Chance looked behind himself as he rotated his head to the right. The wind brushed him once more in the opposite direction and his eyes widened in fear. The wyvern rider flew past the blonde haired priest as he stared him in the eye; the rider giving him a stiff upper lip.

The fear on Chance's face instantly changed to anger and determination as he looked back at the rope and began to climb even quicker.

Panic and fear flashed across Adam's face as he yelled up at his friend, "Chance! Stop! Get back down now! They know!"

"Not yet!" he responded, "I'm almost there!"

"Chance!" Naomi yelled.

"Shut up!" Chance angrily responded, "I got this! I'm almost-!" he froze as he stared past the last couple feet of rope, a mage stood at the top of the grapple. The mage stared down at Chance with a curious look on his face, but soon broke into a maleficent smile. A ball of flame then appeared in his right hand.

Chance clenched his teeth as his heart suddenly froze. He quietly whispered, "Oh, gods..."

The mage let the flames loose and Chance screamed in agony. His hands instinctively reached for his face as he let go of the rope. His body in a freefall before he realized his mistake.

Everyone's face was in horror as Leah screamed, "Chance!"

Chance's back cracked loudly when he violently hit the floor, his body contorting. He was still alive despite the near fatal fall, screaming and clawing at his face in a futile attempt to stop the burning.

"AAAAARRRGGGHHHHHH! AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

"Chance!" Leah ran forward, staff in hand as she quickly fell to his side, a green glow surrounding her hands, "Don't worry! I'll make the pain go away! Just hold on!" tears quickly ran down her face.

As Leah frantically tried to heal Chance, everyone else looked up in horror as they saw a fiery explosion several hundred feet above the castle walls.

"Aw, damn…" Adam spoke, "The entire castle knows we're here!"

"Now what do we do?" Joanna frantically asked. Adam's body stiffened as he gritted his teeth, staring down at the ground. The horrible sound of Chance's screams ringing in the background.

Aaron bit his bottom lip as he walked forward, grabbing everyone's attention, "The Shepherds are going to be here soon! Lets retreat for now and meet up with them, we don't stand a chance on our own!"

Naomi nodded and turned to Adam, "Aaron's right. We have to go."

Adam slowly nodded as he looked back up, turning back to Chance still screaming on the floor, "Isaac, Libra. Pick up Chance. We're moving."

Leah turned back her head with tears still in her eyes, "Wait! He's not done yet!"

"We don't have time, Leah," Adam responded. "We'll heal him when it's safe."

"But he'll die now if he isn't healed!" Leah gasped.

Libra walked over to Leah and placed a hand on her shoulder as he solemnly stared her in the eye, "Leah… You know we don't have time. We have to go."

Leah's face teared up even further as the green glow began to fade. Her tears were now quickly running down her neck.

"Chance…"

Isaac walked up to Chance as the screams slowly died. The green haired priest's body was stiff as he stood over his life long friend, "Damn it. You bastard. You damned crazy bastard."

"He's not dead yet," Libra picked up the burnt body. "Help me, Isaac."

Isaac walked over to Libra and turned around, slightly hunching himself over, "I'll carry him, Libra. We'll move faster that way."

Libra nodded as he brought Chance over to Isaac. Wrapping Chance's burnt arms around Isaac's neck and his untouched legs through the arms. Chance was moaning slightly.

Adam nodded as he walked a few paces away from the castle walls and broke into a run, "Lets go!"

The entire group ran as more and more fireballs fell from the sky. The frightening sound of multiple wyverns echoed through the air. The group struggled through the sand as they ran, larges piles were being kicked up as they desperately tried to run.

Everyone ducked as a rider flew from above, swinging his axe in an attempt to take their heads. Chance gave a tortured scream when Isaac fell.

"Hold on, buddy! You're going to make it. Don't worry! Don't worry!" Isaac tried to assure his friend.

Joanna yelled in frustration as she shot a bolt of wind into the air toward one of the wyvern. The rider quickly dodged when he saw the ripples.

"Keep moving!" Adam yelled once again. Everyone got up and picked up their pace.

Fireballs continued to rain from the sky in a glorious blaze in the dark. The moon had set and the sun began to rise. The desperate priests tried to escape.

Joanna fell when a fireball landed directly to her right, the sand kicking up and the explosion tossing her to the side.

"Joanna!" Libra turned back and ran to pick her back up, but froze when he saw a rider lunging with his lance towards him.

"RRAAGGHH!" Naomi screamed as she jumped forward and brought her sword through the rider's arm and the wyvern's neck. Throwing the wyvern off course as it recoiled in the air, almost slamming itself into Libra, Adam, and Aaron.

"Go!" Adam yelled once more. "The Shepherds are going to be here soon! Just keep-!" another ball of flame fell on their position, and this time directly where Adam stood as his body rapidly became undone.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

"No! Adam!" Naomi ran forward but stopped before his body as its entirety ignited into an even larger burst of flames, quickly searing his skin as he tried rolling on the ground. Libra and Aaron ran forward with staves in hand, a green glow surrounding Adam's body as the flames slowly extinguished.

Naomi walked forward, her eyes welling, "Adam?" Adam's entire body was charred in black, his face unrecognizable and his bloodshot eyes stared endlessly into the sky.

"No…" she choked.

"They're coming again!" Joanna yelled as a dozen wyverns flew overhead. One by one, each rider broke off formation and dive-bombed toward the shattered group.

"Get down!" Libra yelled. Everyone fell to the floor once again, with Chance this time uttering not a word nor scream.

Several riders flew close to the earth with each one passing less than several feet over the cowering bodies. Joanna was lying on her back as she shot several bolts of wind into the passing wyvern. Her magic making contact with two of them as they crashed into the ground. The remaining riders made a second pass as their movements crisscrossed over the priests, each of them coming in different directions.

Joanna was now sitting upright as she moved her body to get a better angle at their attackers, frantically firing at the nearest rider when they came for a pass. The priestess taking down as many as she could.

But there were too many, and they came much too fast.

Someone screamed as Joanna heard her name. Her mind focused on the rider before her as he charged her directly head on. She fired her shot at where the winged beast was, but the rider quickly rotated his wyvern and the bolt flew harmlessly between the beast's right wing and the rider's head. Joanna looked back as he passed over and had no time to process the axe of a second rider coming from behind and through her neck.

Joanna still had a wide eyed expression on her face as her decapitated head rolled off her shoulders. Her head fell in the sand and began to bleed, the rest of her body taking a couple more seconds to kneel forward and fall.

The remainder of the group was frozen in shocked silence, not wanting to believe what they had just seen. Leah leaned forward reaching for Joanna's headless body, no longer able to produce any more tears when she screamed.

Everyone watched but soon broke their gazes as the wyvern came in for another pass. Libra and Aaron stood up as they brought out their weapons, trying to swat the riders away like a swarm of insects. Isaac felt Chance's charred, mushy skin slip between his fingers as Chance slid to the floor. His mouth open slightly and no longer breathing.

Isaac's face griped. He knew his best friend was now gone.

The riders eventually stopped attacking as they went back into the sky. Isaac looked up to find another volley of artillery heading their way. The green haired priest stood up and yelled at everyone to do the same. He ran over to Leah as she was still screaming in mass hysteria, forcefully picking her up and ran when the flames hit the ground.

The group ran as fast as they could through the desert sands. The sun was now a quarter of the way into the sky as everyone tried their best to dodge the deadly rain. Eventually over time they ran further and further away from the castle, and soon the fire magic stopped. The priests no longer in range of the falling flames.

Everyone fell to the floor when they realized this, their breaths incredibly heavy as they struggled to breathe. Their minds resting for a second when the peace was shattered once again at the sound of wyverns screaming from above.

Everyone but Leah stood up as they brought out their weapons. Isaac looked at the distraught girl and tried to pick her up, but was shocked to find her pushing him away.

"Leah…" Isaac called to her. She didn't respond, "Leah!"

"No!" she angrily yelled. "I can't do it! I can't! I just…" she broke into tears.

Isaac stared at Leah when his focus broke when he heard Aaron, Libra, and Naomi yelling as they swung their weapons in a frantic attempt to kill the riders.

"We can't die here!" Naomi yelled.

"Away with you!" Libra smashed his axe into the chest of an attacking wyvern.

"Argh!" Aaron grunted as he jumped out of the way of another.

Everyone fought for as long and as hard as they could, but were soon eventually separated as the riders soon broke them apart.

Isaac was the first to fall when a lance rammed him through the gut when he tried to protect Leah. The girl soon falling quickly afterwards when she grabbed for her staff to heal the wound. Her bloodied body was seen on top of Isaac's, her arms protectively wrapping themselves around his chest.

Naomi moved with speed and agility through the sands, her sword sliding gracefully through the air as she jumped and slashed at the chest of a passing flier.

Aaron and Libra stood back to back to one another, still trying to wave off the wyvern. The two noticed Naomi all by herself when they tried to run for her. But as they ran, Libra did not notice another wyvern coming from behind as the rider smashed the back of Libra's skull with a hammer.

Naomi screamed Libra's name when she saw him fall and Aaron turning back to cover him.

Libra was miraculously still alive and conscious as the back of his head was caked in blood, the man spitting up more in return.

Aaron's eyes were wide as he looked over Libra's body, a worried voice quickly escaping his lips, "Libra! Libra, are you alright?" Libra looked up as no sound passed from his lips, his eyes barely open as he struggled to point his finger passed Aaron.

Aaron quickly turned around and rolled out of the way when another wyvern suddenly flew passed him, the boy barely dodging the attack.

Naomi ran up to the two in a breathless sweat, her short, dark hair now a mess. Her distraught face observed Libra's bloodied head as she looked back up at Aaron, her voice barely a whisper, biting her lip afterwards, "Heal him…"

Aaron solemnly nodded his head as he brought out his staff. The young war monk turned around and knelt by Libra's body, his hands glowing green. Naomi turned around and faced what else was left of the wyvern riders. Her face fell even further when she found the shadowy figures of reinforcements heading in their direction. She screamed when she attacked.

Aaron knelt over Libra's body as he quickly spoke any healing incantation he knew. Libra grunted under the pain when the pieces of his skull slowly reformed. Aaron looked back to find Naomi still standing, her movements becoming much more slower and rigid as she did what she could to distract their attackers.

Aaron looked back at Libra barely holding onto consciousness when he reached into his bag and pulled out a blue vial. Aaron brought the elixir to his friend's lips as Libra slowly drank, throwing the bottle away when he was finished. He then took out his staff again and continued to repair the remaining parts of Libra's skull. Aaron's movements moving in a much more fluid manner as all the pieces fell into place.

Libra's eyes opened and he grunted in pain once again when the healing was finished. He quickly remembered where he was and stood back up, grabbing his axe. Libra thanked Aaron as he looked back to where Naomi stood.

Naomi was hunched over, her face in agony with her left hand gripping her right shoulder. Cuts and blood shrouded the woman's body as she struggled to keep fighting.

Aaron and Libra got up as they tried to run for her once more, but another flier fell from the sky, swinging his axe as the two men dodged. Aaron and Libra looked up and then back to Naomi as the rider flew away, a scream broke from Aaron's lips.

Naomi stood in the middle of the field with her right arm swinging wildly at her attackers, yelling with each swing. But from the sky, the same rider that attacked Libra and Aaron moments before came directly from above. His wyvern falling completely perpendicular to the earth when it landed with an incredible thud, kicking dust into the air.

Aaron's screams stopped when his breath got caught in his lungs. Through the dust he saw the silhouette of Naomi and the rider together with an axe between Naomi's legs in front of her. Naomi's knees buckled and she fell to the floor. The sound of a horn echoed off in the distance and the the wyvern took off soon afterwards, blowing the dust away.

Aaron sat there numb when he looked at Naomi's crumpled body. Denial rushing through his mind at the thought that their strongest fighter and one of his most closest friends was taken out. His throat dry when no more words came.

Libra quickly got up and ran over to Naomi's body, a frantic expression on his face when he called her name.

Aaron soon got up and slowly walked over to Naomi's body, afraid to see her wounds. However when he got there, he was surprised to find that she was still alive. Her face was bloodied and her body was covered in multiple abrasions and puncture wounds from the lances she endured. A single, red line trailed from the top of her head down to between her legs. Her head lolling back and forth while her eyes struggled to stay open. Libra cradled her in his arms as she looked up back at him.

Her hand reached out and softly caressed his face, giving a weak smile, "Hey… you recovered," her eyes slowly opening and closing, "You look good."

Libra looked over Naomi's body finding her battle scars. Her once clear, beautiful skin only moments ago was now covered in cuts and bruises. Libra clenched his teeth, fighting back the emotions as he watched his friend dying in his arms, "Thank you…" he meant it, not just for the comment but because of her actions. It was because of him she was like this. "We'll get you home."

Naomi tried to keep on a brave face and kept smiling, looking passed Libra as she looked to the clouds, her lips parting slightly, "It's… clear now…"

Aaron stared in horror at his friend, refusing to believe that her life was already fading away, "No, Naomi. Don't."

She turned her head to Aaron and gave a slight chuckle as her hand weakly pointed to the sky, "No, you don't understand. The skies… they're clear now," Libra and Aaron looked up, "They're gone now."

"What?" Libra looked with a bewildered look on his face as he searched for the wyvern. The flying reapers that took so many of their friends had disappeared, the entire mass retreating back to the castle.

"Where are they going?" Aaron asked.

The three followed the shapes, soon realizing that they were not flying back to the castle, but to another group on the ground several hundred yards away.

"It's…" Libra spoke.

"It's the Shepherds!" Aaron broke into a grin. "They're here!"

Naomi looked to Libra and he looked back, smiles on both of their faces. He then proceeded to pick her up in his arms and carry her, laughing as he did so, "Oh thank the gods!" Naomi giggled, her face showing absolute joy.

Aaron ran ahead shouting back at the two, "Come on, guys! We're going to make it!" Aaron led the charge with Libra following suit and Naomi in his arms. Their eyes eagerly fixated on the charging wall of Shepherds as they braved the hellfire raining from the castle walls.

The three ran for several minutes with their legs soon beginning to burn. As motivated as they were to reach the safety of the Ylissian league, exhaustion from the several hour long ordeal was taking its toll. They were desperate and wanted to escape, the idea of why they were here in the first place was long from their minds, with only the presence of the Shepherds did they begin to remember.

So exhausted were they, that they did not notice the lone rider turning back around to their location. His wyvern making a large girth in the air as it broke off from the group, and the rider carefully choosing his target as he dived in for the kill.

Libra and Naomi's breaths were caught in their throats when they saw the wyvern materialize seemingly out of nowhere, no time to react when Aaron turned to his side. The axe slowly sliced diagonally from his collarbone down to his hip. A look of complete shock on Aaron's face as his body was cut, "Huh...?"

The wyvern flew off once again and Aaron fell, his unbelief still evident on his face when his body crumpled. Libra stopped running.

Libra and Naomi stared at Aaron's unmoving body as it laid in the sand, their moment of shock broke when they heard the wyvern scream from above. Libra turned his head to find the rider doing another wide turn as he slowly came in for another pass. The warmonk set Naomi on the ground as he pulled out his axe. The woman struggled to get up as well but her legs wouldn't let her, her body falling clumsily back down to the floor.

Libra stood with a defensive stance with his axe in both hands, his feet spread apart and a look of extreme rage on his face. His mouth moving rapidly as he quietly recited verses to himself. The wyvern and rider charging head on.

"Bless be the lords my strength which teaches my hands to war and my fingers to fight…"

The wyvern flew past Libra as he swung his axe.

"Goodness in all that I do as you watch over me!"

The rider circled around and stayed close to the ground, coming in for another pass, kicking up the sand in the process. Libra turned and swung again.

"Be my sword and my shield and the unmoving ground beneath my feet!"

The rider circled again.

"Protect me! Bless me with your strength and your faith!"

Libra could no longer see as the dusty sand surrounded him; a miniature sandstorm with him at the eye. He looked around, frantic as his heart began to beat faster. Sweat dripping down his face.

"...Thy kingdom come, thy will be done…"

Libra heard a high pitched roar when a shadowy figure of the wyvern charged right at him through the haze, knocking him several feet.

Libra laid on the his back when the winged lizard crushed his body beneath its feet, the wyvern screaming in his face. Blood ran from Libra's nose as he stared up at his executioner; the rider pulling out his lance as he skillfully spun it in his hand. The sun shining behind his head, crowning him in its divine light.

"On earth, as it is in heaven..."

Tears leaked from Libra's eyes as he saw the reaper before him, speaking to the world as he painfully uttered his last, "...In Naga's name I pray…" The rider lunged with his lance forward and Libra closed his eyes.

"...Amen."

Libra felt nothing when the stab came. Nothing when steel entered body and bone. When blood fell to the ground and a gurgling sound was made. He opened his eyes and found the rider had stopped. Arm stretched out with weapon in hand, pausing midway. Blood seeped down the rider's neck as a sword punctured itself all the way through; the hilt behind him and the tip in front of him. The rider's hand slowly grasped for the tip and his eyes rolled to the back of his head, his body falling to the ground.

The weight ceased from Libra's chest as the wyvern suddenly turned around. Whiplashing in fury at the sudden death of its partner. The second body of a blonde haired priest fell to the ground. The wyvern ran over to Aaron's body as it held the boy beneath it, roaring and shrieking in agony and despair.

Libra came to when he saw Aaron about to be ripped to shreds. He grabbed his axe and ran forward, lunging into the air as he screamed. The blade of the axe fell on the dragon's head, the beast screaming in pain as it entered. The wyvern threw Libra off its back as it recoiled, Aaron grabbed his sword and stabbed the underbelly, hot blood spilling out. The beast screamed again as it stepped off Aaron; Libra charged once more, bringing his axe down on the dragon's neck.

The wyvern fell, its body in a bloody mess as it rolled onto its side. Breathing heavily as its body twitched. Libra wiped the blood from his nose as he slowly walked over to the suffering beast. He held his axe over his head and brought it down once more, silencing the wyvern forever as it shrieked its last.

Libra breathed heavily, watching parts of the wyvern continue to twitch even in death. His weapon dropped to his side and Libra fell to his knees, taking in large breaths of air and watching the sweat from his brow fall and wet the sand. He stayed there breathing until he heard Aaron stir in the background, the boy bleeding profusely as he tried to stay awake.

Libra immediately got up and ran to Aaron's side, the boy's face mixed with dirt and blood as he coughed up sand. He quickly scanned over Aaron's body, finding the wound the rider had inflicted on him moments ago; most of his robe covered in blood. Aaron's eyes were slowly closing.

"Aaron. Aaron! Stay awake!" Libra lightly slapped the boy's face who groaned in response. He then got up and frantically searched the immediate area for a staff or vulnerary. He found no bottles and the only staff he found had its orb smashed in. Libra then ran back to a barely conscious Aaron and ripped a part of his garment, tightly wrapping it around the boy's waist as he carried him over to Naomi.

Naomi weakly spoke out Aaron's name as she lightly patted his hair, the girl going unconscious soon after.

Libra gave an exhausted sigh as he lightly set Aaron down behind him. He turned back again and brought his hands beneath Naomi, preparing to pick her up once again. Libra softly spoke, "Aaron, I know I am asking much of you right now, but please, climb onto my back. I'll carry the both of you over to the Shepherds."

Aaron weakly replied, "A-alright…" he wrapped his arms around Libra's neck as the priest stood up, an unconscious Naomi in his arms. Libra walked forward at an agonizing pace, with Aaron's feet hanging just barely above the sand.

Aaron had no clue how long they were walking for. To him it felt like an eternity. The sun was now hanging high in the sky and the sound of battle echoed off in the distance. He became light headed and breathing became a challenge, with his arms around Libra's neck slowly loosening over time. He was drifting off and his mind began to wander, and soon he felt like he was leaving his body.

He stared down at Libra and saw a sleeping Naomi in his arms and a half breathing piece of meat hanging off his back. Aaron no longer felt the extreme heat of the sun bearing down on him like it had before, he felt no pain and no anxiety as he watched Libra struggle through the sands. He looked up and noticed how close the three of them were to the battle just up ahead. How close they were to now reaching the Shepherds.

Aaron blinked back into consciousness when he heard someone call his name. He responded when he heard it a third time, "Y-yeah?"

"We're almost there, Aaron. Just a couple more minutes. We're almost there," Libra struggled to breath.

Aaron looked back down at his body and noticed how much he had deteriorated. He no longer felt his legs as they dangled lifelessly by Libra's. Flashes of light bordered his consciousness. He heard the most beautiful song as they flowed like water around his ears. He smiled, "Angels…"

Libra turned his head, "What?"

Aaron slowly shook his head and tried his best to tighten his grip around his friend, "R-remember last night when you told me to find something to be proud of?"

Libra stayed quiet for a moment as he waited for Aaron to continue. When nothing came, he answered, "Yes. Yes I do."

The boy slowly nodded and whispered into his ear, "What I found was that… I wanted to join… the Shepherds."

Libra gave a light smile and was about to respond when Aaron continued, "But… I realized the reason why I wanted to join the Shepherds… was because of Erik," Libra's mouth closed. "Erik's gone now. And it's because I couldn't protect him… Everyone else is gone now… because we couldn't protect them."

Libra bit his lip.

"We came here… to save Exalt Emmeryn. And with the Shepherds at our side, I know we can do it… We're almost there."

Libra nodded in response, "We're almost there."

Aaron smiled as he closed his eyes, his arms still tight around Libra's neck, and his head resting on his back. He whispered, but his words were so low Libra almost missed it, "I'm proud... to know… that we'll… save her… Proud... to call all of you… my… family…" Aaron's head finally tilted, his grip around Libra's neck completely broke away as the boy fell to the ground.

Libra stopped running and turned around, his eyes wide in fear as he called out Aaron's name. He set Naomi down and picked up Aaron's body, grabbing him around the waist with one arm and then went to pick up Naomi with the other. His face of one with complete despair as he saw that the Shepherds were about a thousand yards away. Carrying both of his friends by his side, he ran, screaming at the top of his lungs for the Shepherds to hear.

* * *

A mage fell and smashed his body onto the floor beneath him, his backside torn open as Lon'qu walked over to him. The myrmidon holding his blade in the air as he brought it down on the struggling magician, the man giving a short scream before he died.

Lon'qu looked around him as he saw Gaius, Sumia, Cordelia, Nowi, and Gregor finishing off any remaining archers and mages on the bastille walls. The sound of the long bearing horn call still echoed in his ears. Lon'qu sheathed his sword as he watched Nowi in her dragon form destroying any ladders and stairwell leading to the upper ramparts. Anyone capable of long ranged attacks left on the ground floor of the courtyard could find no way to ascend. They settled for firing at the six Shepherds from where they were.

Everyone dodged when the shots came, recovering when the enemy prepared their second volley. Lon'qu looked up at the rocky cliff where Exalt Emmeryn stood, believing that they may have time to save her. A fiery explosion however, sounded high in the air outside the castle walls; a signal from Ian that that the enemy wyvern that for some reason weren't present at the castle had finally arrived.

Cordelia and her pegasus pulled up right next to Lon'qu, her hand stretched as she noticed him looking at where the Exalt stood.

"The wyvern have finally arrived, we don't have time to rescue her now. We'll have to wait a little bit longer," Lon'qu grunted as he reluctantly grabbed her hand. The six Shepherds had completed their primary objective and were now regrouping with the main force.

* * *

Back on the ground, the defensive wall created by the Shepherds and several other volunteer knights from the Feroxian army enjoyed the luxury of meeting little to no artillery fire from the enemy. Many of the more skilled, non-armored Shepherds were outside of the wall, taking down any Plegian footsoldiers that came their way.

Ian and Chrom stood side by side as they fought against the enemy. Ian with a thunder tome in his hand electrifying any distant soldiers, with Chrom smashing down any of the few that made it through.

One final soldier charged at the duo, their backs turned as he screamed his battlecry. Ian and Chrom turned as Ian shot a bolt of lightning, catching the man before Chrom ran up and finished him off by swinging Falchion upwards across the man's chest and face. The man fell, screaming no more.

Chrom sheathed his blade and Ian put his tome away. The two looking around to find a field of dead Plegian foot soldiers with the rest of the Shepherds remaining mostly unscathed.

Ian breathed heavily as he looked at Chrom who looked back and gave a small, satisfied smile in response. The tactician nodded and he looked toward the top of the rampart walls, finding that very few artillery shots made it through as Lon'qu, Gaius, Sumia, Cordelia, Nowi, and Gregor quickly took them out.

He looked at Chrom with an uneasy expression on his face. His friend's smile fading when he looked back at Ian, "What?"

"The wyvern still haven't shown up yet. Where the hell are they?" Ian asked.

"Don't know," Chrom responded as he searched the sky, finding the air clear of any aerial attacks. "Maybe they ran off?"

"I doubt it," Ian searched as well, "A couple of us splitting from the main group should have at least lured some of them out. Why are they giving us an easy win?" Chrom shook his head at Ian as he gave his nonverbal response. A shriek was then heard from above as black dots appeared in the sky.

Someone yelled out, "Wyvern! Their air units are coming!"

Ian looked at Chrom and then looked back to the sky, finding the sight of multiple air squadrons heading their way, "There they are…"

"Come on," Chrom motioned his head back to the wall, "We need to regroup."

Ian nodded as he pulled out his fire tome, "Got it," he fired a shot into the air as it created a loud explosion several hundred feet above. He put his tome away and ran back to the main force.

When Ian got there, the six Shepherds he sent to the top of the castle walls had already returned. He nodded to Cordelia as she looked his way, giving a small smile in response as she nodded in return. She began making her way over to him when he heard a voice from behind. Virion walked up to Ian with bow in hand as he congratulated the tactician, "My, my. Half of the enemy already eliminated and we have yet to lose a single piece. It would appear that our frequent board matches are beginning to bear fruit it seems."

"Seems to look that way," Ian responded. "But we can't call checkmate just yet. We still have their fliers we have to deal with."

"Of course, of course," Varion waved it off. "It would most definitely be unsportsmanlike to declare victory so soon. Still, it is only a matter of time before we take out the king and save the queen," Cordelia walked up, "Though it would appear some of our queens are already among us," he flashed a smile toward Cordelia, giving her a small bow, "Milady."

"Virion," the pegasus knight responded with a deadpan look as she turned to Ian, "Sir, the enemy artillery on the castle walls have been taken care of. Any paths leading to the upper ramparts have also been destroyed. We were unable to complete our secondary objective."

"Very well," Ian acknowledged the incomplete optional. "Good job, Cordelia," he smiled at her but fell to his normal look once again, "Though I've told you this already before… you can just call me Ian."

Cordelia stammered, "Uh, yes. Yes, of course, sir- I mean, Ian. My apologizes."

"It's alright…" Ian answered back, an awkward air between the two.

Ian looked back toward the approaching wyvern when Cordelia spoke up, "Sir- Ian. Though the entrances leading to the ramparts have been destroyed along with many of their long ranged units, there are still a couple more still remaining back on the ground floor."

"Alright then," Ian responded, "We'll take care of their air support for now and then overwhelm their archers and mages later."

Cordelia nodded, "Aye, aye, sir," she automatically responded, turning around to return to her position.

Ian sighed as he looked after her, slowly shaking his head at her still formal response. However, Ian snapped back to reality when he heard Vaike yell at the top of his lungs, "Here they come!"

The wyvern riders were upon the Shepherds in a matter of seconds. The winged beasts zooming past from above as they looked at the seemingly impenetrable wall. All the riders hesitated for a moment as they stared down at the Shepherds, deeming any attacks to the armored sides impossible. It was then they decided to dive down and go for the meat in the middle.

Ian, Ricken, Miriel, and Virion were equally spaced out in random parts of the inner wall, hiding under the shadow of their comrades until the attack came. Chrom waited until the last possible moment before he gave the signal and shouted, "FIRE!"

Many of the attacking riders were taken off guard when the magic and arrows hit. Most of the shots hit their mark and the wyvern and their riders plummeted to the earth. Many of them falling into the inner circle of Shepherds and were swiftly dealt with.

The remaining fliers stared in shock at how many of them had already fallen in their first pass. All of them reluctant to make a second one. But from out of the blue rode two lone pegasus knights. The pegasus knights flew through the Plegian line as the wyvern riders stared at them in disbelief. Many more flew after them as they gave chase, falling for the bait of an easy kill.

Cordelia and Sumia split up as each were being followed by three to four riders. Sumia flew away from the group and behind the castle walls, disappearing with four riders on her tail. Cordelia flew to the left of the castle and dived down to the earth when she noticed the number following her. Leveling her pegasus to the ground with the horse's hoofs galloping inches above the sand.

Ricken and Miriel appeared at the back of the outer wall, firing their wind magic when Cordelia flew past. The three riders were thrown off their wyvern and violently crashed into the ground. Frederick, Sully, and Stahl broke from the wall and galloped over to the dazed riders, swiftly executing them upon their arrival.

The three galloped back to the wall as the Shepherds made a hole. The three knights rode through with no resistance, with the rest of the Shepherds filling in the gaps when they passed.

The three made it to the other side of the wall when Sumia reappeared from behind the castle, the four wyvern still hot on her tail. Sumia pulled on her pegasus as she made a sharp left, the hoofs barely inches off the ground.

The winged horse lowered however, and its feet scraped the ground. Sumia flew forward off her pegasus as they both crashed into the floor, both of them lying inches away from the firing zone.

Ian and Virion fired as quickly as they could, trying their best to snipe the four riders from their position before they fell upon Sumia.

Three of the four were taken out as Sully and Stahl rode out to take care of them. But the last rider had his spear at the ready, trying his best to ignore the sight of his three comrades falling from the sky.

He eyed the fallen pegasus knight as she struggled to get up in a daze. He held his breath as he lunged forward, focusing his attack on the back of her head.

Frederick galloped over to Sumia's side, his shield up as he caught the lance in its frame. The weapon bounced off the knight with the inertia knocking the rider off his wyvern. The great knight galloped to where the dazed man fell, and without hesitation, punctured his lance through the man's heart.

Frederick pulled his weapon out of the dead rider, his anger still fresh on his face, "You will not touch her," Sumia stared in awe as Frederick rode back to her, his hand reaching down to her when he arrived, "All you alright, milady?"

Sumia broke into an ecstatic smile when she grabbed his hand, her body shaking from both the crash and from excitement, "That was amazing!"

Frederick smiled, "All that I can do to protect you," Sumia sat behind him as she wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head against his back. Frederick had a slight blush that could only be seen from the front, but soon recovered when he ordered his horse forward. Sumia's pegasus following behind.

Ian looked away from the scene and focused his attention on the remaining riders in the sky, knowing that their trick wouldn't work again. He tried to think of another way to take them out when he heard someone yell from far away.

Everyone turned their heads to the source of the sound, their eyes squinting to find a blonde haired woman dressed in white cloth carrying two large objects at her side struggling toward them. She yelled again. Her words barely audible over the wind.

The remaining wyvern riders all looked at each other as they suddenly dived down on the mysterious woman. Lances and axes ready to tear her apart.

Everyone stared when Virion stepped forward, the string of his bow already primed, "Oh no, you don't!" The arrow flew from Virion's hands and hit nearest rider with masterful precision. The first rider fell and Virion fired off another shot toward a second.

Ian, Miriel, and Ricken ran up beside the nobleman as they spammed wind magic into the air, frantically trying to cover the unknown woman.

Every rider fell but one. The last man flying just out their range as he brought his axe back, flying as fast as he could toward the defenseless woman.

Virion pulled his arrow back and yelled, "He's too far away! I can't hit him from here!"

Ian screamed, "FIRE!"

"But-!"

"I SAID FIRE!"

Virion shot his arrow and a blast of wind punched through him as he fell. The blast caught the arrow and it accelerated through the air, the shot puncturing the rider's neck and killing him instantly. His wyvern crashed to the floor, the bone in its wings snapping on impact.

Everyone cheered at the amazing shot, a shot that had practically no reason of working at all. Almost every Shepherd cheered and screamed. Virion picked himself off the floor and dusted himself off, turning to Ian with a furious look on his face.

"What in heavens was that for!? How dare you-!"

Ian chuckled as he placed a hand on Virion's shoulder and pointed him towards the dead wyvern and rider, "Nice shot."

"What?" the nobleman looked back, the angered look in his face changed to surprise when he found only the woman still standing. "Wait, you mean it-? I mean," he cleared his throat," O-of course it did! What, did you expect anything less from the great Virion himself? The archiest of archers?"

Ian laughed, "No, not at all. Beautiful shot."

"Ah ha! Why it is only a matter of-" Virion continued to speak as Ian tuned him out, the tactician walked over to Chrom to discuss the stranger.

"Chrom, who is that woman? Do you know why she was being attacked?"

Chrom shook his head, "No. But it looks like we're going to find out," he turned to Sully, "Sully, lend me your steed."

"What?"

Frederick stepped in, "I wouldn't advise that, milord. We do not know who this person is and why she is here. I suggest in the very least we wait until she comes to us."

Chrom grunted, "But she was just-!"

"Chrom," Ian spoke up. "I'm going to have to side with Frederick on this one. We don't know what she's capable of. Just wait a couple more minutes and we'll find out."

Chrom clenched his teeth as he looked back at his friend, his fists loosening as he conceded, "...Fine."

Everyone watched as the woman slowly limped her way toward them. They soon discovered that what the woman held was not just two large objects, but more specifically two bodies. She yelled at the top of her lungs again, "Please! Help!"

Lissa gasped, "It's a clergywoman!" Chrom's eyes widened as he sprinted toward the woman with Ian and Frederick frantically calling after him.

Chrom slid to his knees when he saw the woman collapse, the two bodies falling to her side. Chrom looked over the woman's body finding her robes in tatters and her nose bloody. A look of desperation in her eyes.

"Please, help. My friends, they're dying. They need immediate medical attention."

Chrom quickly nodded as he looked at the two bodies. Noticing the black hair of a badly cut and beaten woman along with a short, blonde haired boy in a similar condition. He turned back his head as he frantically called, "Lissa! Maribelle! I need you here now! I have two people in extreme critical condition!"

Lissa and Maribelle quickly arrived on the noblewoman's horse, staves at the ready with Lissa jumping off, "Chrom!"

"Lissa!" Chrom frantically waved his hand over, "These two need healing! Now!"

"Alright!" she cried as Maribelle walked over. Green glows enveloped their hands as they hovered over the two dying priests.

The rest of the Shepherds reached the group as Ian walked forward, placing his hand on Chrom's shoulder to get his attention, "Chrom…"

The Prince turned his head, "What?"

"We still need to stop your sister's execution."

The blood drained from Chrom's face when he realized his forgetfulness. He quickly stood back up, "Aw, crap! How did I-! Son of a-!" he turned to his younger sister, "Lissa! You and Maribelle stay here! Do what you can to save these two."

"But what about you guys?" shock ran across Lissa's face. "What will happen if you guys need healing?"

"We'll be fine," Chrom answered. "Right now your focus should be getting these guys back on their feet and alive," Lissa continued staring. "That's an order!"

"What!?" Lissa yelled out. "Wait a minute! I don't take orders from you!"

"Shepherds! Move out!"

"Wait! Come back here, mister! I'm not done talking to you!" Lissa stood up as she watched everyone else move past her. Her words falling on deaf ears as she yelled, "Chrom you big idiot!" The woman looked up at Lissa with a bewildered look on her face, her mind trying to process what was going on.

Maribelle looked at the woman as her hands hovered over the blonde haired boy's chest. Giving her an apologetic look every now and then as she went back to concentrate on her work.

The woman looked back at Maribelle as she bit her lip, eventually opening her mouth to thank her. Maribelle looked at the woman for a quick second then returned to the boy, "There is no need for thanks. For it is the duty of the noble to help the downtrodden. I will do all I can to help your friends, sister."

"Brother," the woman corrected.

"Huh?" Maribelle looked up.

"Brother," the woman repeated. "I'm a man."

"Wait, what?" Lissa interrupted. "But, but you're so pretty! You look like an angel!"

"I… get that a lot," the man almost shamefully admitted. He turned his head, looking back and forth at his dying friends and the two healers. "But enough of that. Please, do not let me interrupt you. Do what you can to save my friends."

"We are doing all we can..." Maribelle stopped, looking back at the blonde, beautiful faced man.

"Libra," the man answered the unasked question. "My name is Libra," he motioned to the two bodies beside him, "Their names are Aaron and Naomi."

"Very well, Libra," Maribelle continued. "We'll do all we can to save Aaron and Naomi."

Libra softly spoke, fighting back the tears he felt edging near the corner of his eyes, "...Thank you. And bless you. May the gods bless you both..."

* * *

The Shepherds, minus their two healers, neared the front doors of the castle courtyard. What stood between them were two men on horseback and a slim woman with black hair, revealing clothing, and a brooding look on her face.

The two cavalier charged the wall of Shepherds in hopeless desperation. Both men were swiftly cut down. The woman stood unmoving as she held an open, purple tome in her hands, silently cursing herself at her damned awful luck.

Ian and Chrom looked at one another as the blue haired prince called out, "Hey! You there! Are you with the Plegians? You seem reluctant to fight!"

The woman suddenly snapped back, her tone sarcastic, "No! Of course not! Why wouldn't I be reluctant to die!?" she looked back down at her open tome, her dark bangs covering her eyes, "...But death comes to us all eventually. Why invite it early, fighting for a cause I don't believe in?"

Chrom hesitated, "So… I should take that as a no, or…"

The woman stared back with an annoyed look on her face, "Lets just say I'm keeping my options open. I mean, long live the king and all, but I'd like to keep living as well. And I have a bit of a rebellious streak, I'm afraid. A… dark side."

Ian stepped forward, "Then join our cause. Fight for us and we'll let you live. I'd rather not take the life of a beautiful woman such as yourself."

The woman's cheeks flushed red, her eyes wide as she faced Ian, "W-what? I mean. Who are you?" she accusingly pointed her finger at him.

"His name is Ian," Chrom answered. "He is our chief tactician. It is because of him that we were able to get this far-"

"Chrom!" Ian quickly interjected. "You shouldn't give information like that away so easily!"

The woman spoke up as she stared at her feet, cutting Ian off in the middle of his retort, "Y-you're the one who did this?" Ian stared back at her. "You planned all of this? You found a way to take down an entire castle with such a disadvantage in such a short amount of time? Willing to sacrifice the lives of your clergyman and soldiers to distract us in order to win?" she looked back at him. "That's a bold move."

Ian froze, "Sacrifice? Clergy? Wait, what are you-?"

The woman giggled to herself, "You're sadistic. Wow, I've never felt this way before. I never thought in all of my life would I have a feeling such as this," she had the most mischievous grin on her face, "Surprisingly, I find that very… attractive…"

Ian's face fell in disbelief, "Ha?"

The woman continued to laugh, "Oh, Ian! What a wonderful name!" she slowly walked over to him. "Oh, if you insist. I guess I'll join the Shepherds… by your side… Ian," she leaned to his side and whispered into his ear, "My name is Tharja by the way...heh...heh...heh…" Ian pulled away as quickly as he could. Tharja then stepped back and faced the courtyard doors, a black haze surrounded her hands as the doors flew open. She looked back at Ian with a sultry look before walking inside.

Every one of the Shepherds stared at the woman in shocked disbelief, many of them with their mouths hanging open. Vaike spoke up.

"What the hell just happened?"

* * *

Maribelle, Lissa, and Libra sat outside the castle walls, the clashes and sounds of fighting echoing from it.

Libra sat exhausted in between his two friends, praying and chanting the verses he knew with the little breath he had. Maribelle and Lissa chanted healing incantations as their hands hovered over the two unconscious priests.

Someone's loud, anguished scream echoed from the castle, the person's scream surpassing the clashing metal. Lissa bit her lip as she anxiously looked to where the Shepherds were. Maribelle looked as well but quickly went back to her work, her chanting however came to a slow and uncomfortable stop.

Libra stared at her for a second then down at Aaron. The boy's wounds had somewhat healed but he made no sound. His chest unmoving. Maribelle placed her ear to the boy's mouth and then to his chest. In both cases, she heard absolutely nothing. Libra stayed silent as he watched Maribelle place her lips over Aaron's mouth, breathing into him as she pulled out. She placed both her hands over his chest and compressed them, doing this multiple times until she breathed into his mouth again.

Libra sat there and watched in unmoving silence, hearing the sounds of Maribelle performing mouth to mouth resuscitation on Aaron to his left and Lissa chanting as she worked to heal Naomi on his right. The sounds of metal bouncing off metal and people dying echoed in the background.

After several minutes, Maribelle eventually stopped. Libra stared at her as her hand slowly hovered over the entirety of Aaron's body, doing this motion twice until the green glow in her hand disappeared.

Maribelle looked at Libra with a somber look in her eyes. Libra clenched his teeth when she spoke, "He's… dead. I'm sorry, Libra."

Libra sat there silent as the words have yet to process in his mind. Maribelle's words traveled in slow motion to his ears, the meaning taking even longer to take shape. A scream reached Libra's ears before Maribelle's words did. The three all turned their heads toward the top of the rocky cliff.

* * *

"Y-your Grace, I… Please forgive me…"

"Phila!" Emmeryn's words escaped from her lips. She watched as her bodyguard and advisor plummeted to the ground. She watched from above as her best friend died. The Shepherds on the ground floor froze as they watched the falling Pegasus Knights. Cordelia and Sumia quickly landing on their own.

A commotion broke out between her brother Chrom and King Gangel. Emmeryn fell to her knees as tears ran down her face, the Exalt not noticing the several dozen arrows now pointed at her.

"Chrom! No! Don't! You can't trust him!"

"Of course! I know that I can't trust him! I'm not an idiot! But…!"

Emmeryn tried to wipe away her tears as she watched Chrom, Ian, Gangrel, and the rest of the Shepherds below. Her eyes widening in horror as she watched her brother and the rest of the Shepherds about to lay down their arms. She yelled.

"No Wait!"

Everyone turned their heads toward Emmeryn as she stood back up. Every eye fixated on her, "King Gangrel, is there no hope you will listen to reason?"

Gangrel scoffed, "You mean listen more to your sanctimonious babble? I think not! No, all I want is to hear a thunk of arrows. And a splat! As you hit the ground," he pointed to her then spread out his arms, "Take one, long, last look from your perch. You do so enjoy looking down on people," he paused. "Then prepare to meet the ground, and your maker! That is, unless someone were to give me the Emblem…" he suddenly turned to Chrom, "Now!"

Emmeryn looked to her brother as he slowly spoke up, "Alright…"

"Huh?" Gangrel leaned forward, cupping his ear. "What'd you say? Can you repeat that?"

"I said alright!" Chrom yelled at Gangrel. He looked to Emmeryn as she stood near the crown of the world, a look of defeat in his eyes, "Alright... Emm..." his sister's face saddened. "I know you won't approve, but this is my final decision. Maybe someday we'll face a crisis where maybe the Emblem would've helped. But I know for a fact that Ylisse needs you, today!" he clenched his fist. "The people need their exalt… And we need our sister. If those dark days should come, we'll face them together."

Emmeryn held her breath as she closed her eyes, answering once they reopened, "Chrom… Th-thank you. I now know what I must do…"

Chrom's eyes widened, "Emm, what are you-?"

Emmeryn placed a hand over her chest as she spoke as loudly as she could, her voice traveling almost miles around, "Plegians! I ask that you hear the truth of my words! War will win you nothing but sadness and pain, both inside your borders and out. Free yourselves from this hatred! From this cycle of pain and vengeance. Do what you must… As I will do," she began to take a step toward the edge, "See now that one selfless act has the power to change the world!"

She stepped off the edge.

Chrom screamed, "Emm! No!" automatically sprinting to where she was.

As Emmeryn fell to the earth, thoughts quickly ran through her mind as time seemingly slowed.

"_No reaction. Was I wrong then?"_

She looked to Chrom running to her final destination.

"_This is some torch I'm passing you." _She smiled to herself. "_So be it…"_

The air flew past Emmeryn as she descended to the ground, her mind and body seemingly at ease as she gracefully fell. She opened her eyes and saw her people one finally time, "_Chrom, Lissa. My cherished brother and sister. Thank you for the memories and our moments together. Remember that I'll always love you."_

Her eyes switched to the white clothed bodies that laid empty far from the castle walls, "_I am sorry, my clergy, that you had to die because of me…"_ She pursed her lips. "_May I thank you and apologize to you in the afterlife…" _

Finally her eyes landed on Frederick, the great knight whose eyes were filled with horror at the scene before him, "_Frederick…" _Emmeryn smiled. "_I've… never really did… get over you…"_

The speed of the world slowly began to pick up, with the ground now mere seconds away. Exalt Emmeryn closed her eyes for the last time.

"_My people… may we meet again soon…"_

Chrom fell to his knees and cried.

* * *

Lissa was covering her eyes, sobbing as Maribelle wrapped her in her arms. The noblewoman trying to comfort her friend but was at a lost for words.

Libra saw from the corner of his eye a woman in full blue attire with the same color hair, holding her hand to her mouth in the distance. The girl fell to her knees.

Libra instinctively looked to Aaron's body, his mind in complete shock when he heard the words…

"_We came here… to save Exalt Emmeryn… I know we can do it…"_

Tears ran down Libra's face.

"_I'm proud... to know… that we'll… save her… Proud... to call all of you… my… family…" _

Libra whispered in despair, "No…"

"_We failed…"_

"_We couldn't save her…"_

"_You died…"_

"_...for nothing."_

* * *

**Holy cow, this chapter is finally done. I counted about 11 line breaks in this one. This is easily the longest chapter I've written to date. I confess though, the reason why I feel so tired typing this author note right now is because I wrote 80% of this chapter in the last three days. I literally threw myself and dedicated my entire weekend to finishing this out of guilt because of the lack of updates and because I wanted to get this out on the very latest on Halloween day. Obviously that second part didn't happen. But anyways, better late than never. I also originally thought this was going to be a boring copy and paste chapter from the game. I guess not, haha.**

**I noticed with some other fanfiction stories and even in the game itself, a lot people don't really seem to remember Libra's old group. Most people seem to remember members of Cordelia's old squad dying before she is recruited. The exact same thing practically happens to Libra when he is recruited, but no one seems to remember them. Even when you first speak with Libra himself, he mentions his friends only once and never talks about them ever again, almost like he didn't really care about their existence. Cordelia and Libra could have had a really good support conversation about losing their battle buddies before joining the Shepherds, but no. They had to spend most of it talking about carrying heavy crates. So disappointing. **

**Anyways, I'll wrap up this author's note. This chapter took an extremely long time to finish and I hope to never have to exert myself in my writing like that ever again. Or in the very least, not anytime soon. If you guys notice any punctuation or spelling errors in here, don't hesitate to let me know. I appreciate the kind and constructive reviews so far and I love you all. Thanks again everyone and I'll see you guys in the future when I update again. Have a good one.**


	6. Chapter 5: Rain

**Hey, everyone. Happy belated Thanksgiving. Another chapter is in. Classes end in about a week or two from now and so I'll have more time to write and update when winter break rolls in. ****I just want to thank you guys for the reviews so far and more specifically Antex for the constant encouragement with each chapter and Dane Namor for the paragraph long reviews that I always find myself looking forward to. Seriously, it really does help. To be honest though when I read about how much you groaned when you came across the multiple OCs in the previous chapter, I couldn't help but laugh because I knew even before I started that chapter how much you hated OC overload.**

**The chapter ahead is a little more violent than the last. But nonetheless I hope you enjoy. **

* * *

**Chapter 5: Rain**

_Rain..._

_Rain..._

_Go Away..._

_Come again…_

_...Another day…_

* * *

The defeated Shepherds walked through the desert when the rains began to fall, which came as a sudden and rapid change to the hot climate before. The skies had darkened and the group's optimism earlier that morning disappeared just how the sun had, replaced with tears that fell from the sky.

The dry earth turned to mud and the arid heat became a warm chill. Ian walked alongside Chrom at the front of the convoy with his hood pulled down. The tactician's socks were wet, mud stuck to the bottom of his boots, and the humid air filled his lungs with each breath.

Ian walked in silence as did everyone else, staring at the ground before him while he heard the warm rain rapidly splatter upon his coat. He turned his head to the right, finding Chrom in an even more defeated state than he was, not even bothering to put his hood back on as the rain drenched his hair and water slid off the tip of his nose.

The tactician gave a shiver and then looked behind him, watching the once proud convoy move at an agonizingly slow pace, despite being in retreat. The men and women of the Shepherds hung their heads, and every now and then someone would lose their footing and fall in the mud, their nearby comrades momentarily stopping to help them back up. Everyone was covered in mud.

The horses and their riders walked at the back on the convoy. The wings of the pegasus became too wet and heavy due to the rains and were forced to stay on the ground with the others. Frederick tentatively stood nearby Sumia as the girl consistently slipped every couple of seconds, the man's arm practically wrapped around her's due to the number of times she fell. The great knight's normal armoured shine dulled with the mud. Cordelia walked beside them lost in her own train of thought, but every now and then she would look up with worried eyes to the front of the convoy where Chrom and Ian were before shamefully looking back at the ground.

Vaike helped lead Maribelle's horse by the reins while the noblewoman rode on top, making sure the arms of the unconscious female priest were still secured around her waist. Lissa stood nearby, her tears mixed with the rain as she held her staff tight to her chest.

Ian's eyes finally fell on Libra, the war monk wore the same face as everyone else as he gave an endless stare. The priest piggybacking the body of his late friend where the dead boy's arms hung stiff off of Libra's shoulders. The man's eyes were empty.

Ian couldn't help but stare at the priest while he watched everyone around him. Every one of the Shepherds had survived the battle at the castle courtyard, but in truth it wasn't because of him they had lived. He looked at Tharja shivering in the rain as she took cover behind Panne's body in her beast form. Sacrifices were made and at least one life was lost. The ashen haired tactician had yet to learn what the true casualty cost really was.

He then looked back ahead, biting his bottom lip as he closed his eyes and clenched his fists. Finding guilt in the fact that it was because they were not fast enough that the boy had died.

Ian let out a long, chilled breath, "Damn it…"

The Shepherds marched on for several more minutes before they came upon the remains of a giant rib cage that lay on top of a ravine at several stories high. Everyone looked at it warily before proceeding.

Basilio suddenly spoke up, breaking the silence, "Hurry! There should be carriages waiting just through the ravine!"

Ian looked at Chrom who momentarily stared at the West-Khan before turning his head back toward the ground. Ian looked back at Basilio, "Yeah… alright…"

As everyone continued to walk a little bit further through the ravine, figures of Plegian soldiers began to emerge from the shadows, a couple of them blocking the pathway with weapons drawn. The convoy stopped as they stared back at their adversaries, almost surprised to find that they stared into eyes that were as crestfallen as their own.

Basilio cursed, "Damn… I knew it couldn't be that easy."

Ian looked up when there was a flash of lightning, finding the silhouette of a large, bald headed man with a brown, bushy beard standing on one of the rock cliffs above them.

The bald headed man called out with his arms crossed, "Hold, Ylisseans! I am General Mustafa of the Plegian Army! We offer you mercy! Surrender now and your lives will be spared!"

Chrom looked up with emotionless eyes.

"Surrender? I'm sorry, but we're not familiar with the word!" Basilio yelled back.

The general replied, "I understand your hesitation. If it were under any other circumstances I would have gladly made battle with you. But…" the man stared at the ground. "With the events we have witnessed today, that is no longer the case," he looked up, "Emmeryn would not have wished for this to come to bloodshed-"

"Don't speak her name!" Chrom suddenly fired out. Ian turned to face his friend, shock written on his face as everyone else also stared at the enraged prince. Chrom was breathing heavily now as he began to slowly pull Falchion from his scabbard. "...How dare you?"

"Chrom…" Ian quietly whispered.

Mustafa softly sighed, "Your rage is justified, Prince Chrom. But the meaning of your sister's final sacrifice was not lost on me. I… suspect many Plegians who heard her final words would also say the same," he stared at the prince with a somber look in his eyes, "In the very least... that's how my men and I feel."

Chrom clenched his teeth.

"Lay down your weapons and I'll see that no harm comes to you or your men," Mustafa finished.

"How can we trust you after what your barbarous king has done?" Frederick stepped forward, placing himself between the Plegians and Chrom. Ian looked back at Sumia, finding the girl now holding onto Cordelia while she watched with fear in her eyes.

The general's arms fell when he exhaled, "I… have nothing to offer but good faith."

Chrom grunted, "Tch."

Ian watched with growing concern as he turned back and whispered to the Shepherds behind him, "Get ready for defensive positions. Pass it down."

Chrom spoke up once again, "I think we'll take our chances with weapons in hand!"

The Plegian general slowly nodded his head in understanding as he closed his eyes, "I suspected you would say as much," his eyes opened once again. "So be it…" he turned to his soldiers. "Men, attack!"

Ian yelled, pulling out his sword, "Everyone, move!" Chrom crouched low and then went into a full sprint, roaring as he ran his blade through the first Plegian soldier in his path. Ian turned back when he heard Frederick yell after Chrom. Ian shouted, "Chrom! No! Get back!" Chrom disappeared into the body of soldiers. "Damn it!" he screamed.

Frederick took a step forward in an attempt to chase after the lord, but stopped when Ian grabbed his arm.

"Unhand me!" the great knight yelled.

"Don't go, Frederick! It would be suicide to go in alone! We need you back here to help defend our forces!"

"It is my duty to ensure Prince Chrom stays safe! I would give my life to accomplish that! Do not hinder me!" Frederick shoved Ian off him and the tactician fell in the mud. The great knight turned and pulled out his lance before sprinting after Chrom. Sumia yelled after him.

Everyone watched with incredible disbelief as Ian sat in the mud yelling after Frederick. Gaius and Lon'qu walked forward to help the tactician up while everyone else began to organize their movements. Libra stood stock still while everyone moved around him. Continuing to carry Aaron's dead body as the war monk stood unflinching, staring into the mud. His hair covered his eyes as the rain slid down the strands.

Maribelle turned to him when she realized he hadn't moved, "Libra?"

Libra continued to stand still for a couple more moments before he turned to Kellam and spoke, "Hold him."

Kellam stopped at the realization that someone noticed him before he grew even more confused at the priest's request, "What?"

Libra brought Aaron's body forward and repeated himself, "Hold him," The knight hesitantly brought his hands forward as Libra placed the boy's body into his arms.

Naomi stirred behind Maribelle as she slowly opened her eyes, "Libra? What are you…?" Libra ignored her as he began to make his way to the front lines, his shoulder hitting Ian's when he shoved past him. The war monk pulled out his axe and then sprinted into the fray, disappearing into the rain.

Ian was dumbstruck with his mouth hanging slightly open before he yelled in frustration once again.

"You can't be bloody serious!"

More soldiers filed out in front of the Shepherds, effectively blocking off any routes to Chrom, Frederick, and Libra. The Plegian soldiers were hesitant, but held their weapons at the ready, prepared to fight if need be. Ian cursed as his fingers tightened around his sword, "Chrom, you freakin' bastard…"

Lon'qu, Gregor, Vaike, Donnel, Panne, Basilio, and Flavia moved up beside Ian with their weapons primed. Stahl and Sully quickly joined them, the two riders opting to fight without their mounts. The Shepherds stared at the Plegian soldiers and the Plegians stared back. Thunder roared and there was a flash of lightning, the Shepherds yelled as they charged into the Plegian line.

* * *

Frederick sprinted through the enemy lines in search for Chrom, the great knight spinning his lance and taking down any soldiers that got in his way. He was alone however and far from any support, which meant any mistake on his part would almost certainly lead to his death. But despite this knowledge, fear kept him going. Fear not for his life, but for his lord, the very same man he swore his life to protect.

Two more soldiers ran up to the knight with swords in hand, Frederick managed to ram one of them through the gut while the other dodged his attack by sliding through the mud behind him. Frederick quickly turned around and blocked the attack with the polearm when the soldier lunged forward. The two men struggled as the soldier tried to push his blade through Frederick's lance. Frederick grunted when he shoved his weapon forward, throwing the soldier off him. The soldier jumped back as Frederick sweeped his lance in a wide arc, breathing a little heavily while Frederick glared back at him.

The soldier grabbed some mud from the hillside and ran back at Frederick, throwing the dirt into the knight's face before he once again slid by his side.

Frederick tried to rub the mud from his eyes while he stumbled around blindly, wildly swinging his lance. The Plegian soldier caught his breath for a couple of seconds before running back at his opponent. The soldier held his sword in one hand as he arched his right shoulder back and brought the blade down. Frederick managed to rub the mud from his eyes when he instinctively sweeped his lance to the side once again, smacking the soldier with the polearm in the chest.

The soldier had the wind knocked out of him when his back slammed against a wall. He held his side when he tried to stand back up, but just as he did so Frederick speared him through the stomach. The soldier screamed in pain when Frederick pushed his body up higher against the wall, blood running from his mouth as he struggled and swung his sword against Frederick's lance.

The soldier's breathing quickened when he realized his end. He became enraged and pained tears ran down his face as he grabbed the lance with one hand and used his legs to push against the wall, impaling himself all the way through and screaming in both determination and agony as his body quickly slid down the pole. Frederick's eyes widened as the angry soldier slid down the lance and hit him in the collarbone with his sword.

Frederick stumbled back as he grunted in pain, letting the lance go and the Plegian soldier fell to the ground. Frederick breathed heavily when he pulled out his sword, watching the soldier lean against the wall as another flash of lightning appeared. The soldier grunted in pain as he held the lance puncturing through his gut with crimson hands, staring back with defiant eyes when Frederick walked up to him. The great knight stared down on the young soldier for a moment before slashing him across the face with his blade, the young man let out his last breath when he violently fell to his side.

Frederick stood over the Plegian soldier for a couple of seconds while he allowed his breathing to fluctuate back to normal. He shook his head. He then picked up the body and grabbed the spear from the man's backside and pulled all the way through, coating its entirety in the man's blood. Frederick shook his weapon a couple of times while parts of the red liquid fell to the ground. He then looked at the young, dead soldier one last time before running off again to find his lord.

* * *

All of the soldier's in the Shepherd's immediate area were taken out as the main group took a second to recover. Ian rubbed his hair and letting the water sprinkle from on top of him before looking back to find everyone relax for a moment. He paused when he heard someone grunt in pain and turned to find Vaike leaning against a muddy wall and grabbing his shoulder.

Ian ran forward and leaned by the muscled fighter's side, looking to find only the man's shoulder had been punctured.

"Are you alright?" Ian asked with his hand on his friend's other shoulder.

"Me? Ha! Nothing ol' Teach can't- Augh! Can't handle…" Vaike winced in pain.

Gaius walked up, "Whoa there, buddy. Look at the size of that hole. You probably shouldn't move around too much."

"Buzz off!" Vaike retorted. "This pain is nothing! I can-Augh! Handle myself," Ian raised an eyebrow at Vaike before calling Lissa over, the young princess setting to work straight away.

Once Vaike had recovered and began flexing his muscles once again, Ian looked back at the body strewn battlefield and gave an exhausted sigh. He order everyone forward as they began to search for their runaway comrades.

Thunder boomed and everyone looked around for their three missing friends. Many members of the group wanted to call out but were forced to stay silent in case it gave away their position. Yet with each passing second, the chances that either Chrom, Frederick, Libra, or even all three were still alive began to dwindle. Ian became frustrated.

Cordelia walked up the tactician after a couple minutes passed by and spoke her mind, "Ian, we're running out of time."

"I know," Ian said. "But what do you want me to do? If you suggest splitting up, I say no. That's suicide."

"But they may end up dead if we don't find them in time! Splitting up and forming multiple search parties may be our only course of action!" Cordelia quickly spoke.

"And what will happen if you guys get lost? Or even captured?" Ian demanded. "That'll only multiply our problems!"

Sumia walked up to the tactician and began to beg, "Please, Ian. Cordelia is right, this field splits off in multiple directions. If we keep moving at the pace we're at, we may never find them," she teared.

Gaius turned to Ian and his face fell looking at the thief, "Oh not you too!"

Gaius shrugged, "Sorry, Bubbles. But they have a point. We're moving much too slow as a search party, especially for my tastes."

Ian clenched his teeth as every Shepherd in the closest proximity looked at him. He grunted, "Every tactical bone in my body is telling me no," he glared. "Alright, fine then. We'll split off into groups, but there will be a limit of at least six per group. Don't do anything stupid or get split up further or I swear I'll... I'll..." he stared at everyone shaking his fist before he conceded once again. "Aw, screw it! Just go! We'll meet at the end of the ravine within thirty minutes! If anyone doesn't make it back I swear I'll beat the living daylights out of you!" he pulled out his sword, "Alright then, everyone! Split and lets move!" Everyone began charging off in different directions in search for their missing friends.

* * *

The rain began to intensify further when Libra snuck through the lines. His eyes were wearily searching for the blue haired prince, brother of the exalt he and his comrades had failed to save.

Thunder boomed and Libra hid by a wall. The war monk bit his bottom lip in anger and frustration at their failure. At his failure. So many of his friends had lost their lives and he had nothing but a barely breathing sister and a dead brother to show for it.

Libra gripped his axe and tears formed at the edge of his eyes before he quickly rubbed them away. He took in a deep breath before pushing himself off the wall and ran again.

A familiar sound echoed from above and Libra's blood turned ice cold. His face turned to a snarl when he looked up, finding a squad of Plegian riders up above as another roar of thunder sounded.

One of the wyvern shrieked again and suddenly made its way to the ground. Libra hid behind another dirt wall. The wyvern landed and began to thrash around wildly, the rider immediately hopping off and running to comfort the winged lizard.

The rider's comrades yelled from above and the man yelled back, waving them off with one hand toward the battlefield. The fliers all looked at each other then back at their friend on the ground before one of them nodded toward him and yelled once more. They all then began to make their way toward the frontlines.

The rider gently rubbed the wyvern's nose and quietly shushed the beast. Libra could barely make the sound of a quiet whimper coming from the wyvern through the rain before another crash of thunder echoed again. His features flashed to anger at the sight when he remembered the horrors he and his friends had endured before slowly making his way closer to the two.

The head of the wyvern perked up once again before the rider calmed it once more.

"...Hey, hey. Shh... Don't worry, Saela. Shh... Don't worry. Again, it's just thunder. It's just a bunch of loud noise, it won't hurt you. I've told you this a million times. I promise," the wyvern whimpered again and the rider chuckled. "Heh, you're such a fraidy cat. How can such a big, strong dragon such as yourself be scared by some measly thunder?" The wyvern affectionately snapped its jaws at the rider.

The rider chuckled once again when his wyvern suddenly shook. Confused because of the lack of thunder, the rider looked behind him and his eyes widen at the sight of a Ylissean priest swinging his axe at him.

The axe cut the rider in his ribs and violently threw him a couple of meters. The wyvern shrieked in anger and tried to attack the priest.

Libra ducked low as the wyvern snapped its jaws at him, his face emotionless when he brought his axe up and heavily swung against the beast's lower jaw.

The wyvern shrieked in pain as it fumbled backwards, shaking its head to try and recover from the attack. The wyvern opened its eyes and found Libra charging at its neck. The axe connected and the beast screamed in agony. Libra pulled his axe out and violently swung again, hot blood flying out with each swing.

The wyvern fell and its rider looked at his partner in horror. He screamed when Libra walked toward the whimpering beast, the priest's eyes empty as he brought his axe above his head and prepared to bring it crashing down.

From out of the blue, a javelin flew and hit Libra directly in the shoulder when he stumbled back in pain. He looked up, enraged at the sight of another Plegian soldier sliding down one of the dirt walls and placed himself between the dying wyvern and the priest.

The soldier leaned into his lance at a defensive stance while glaring at Libra before he shouted toward the rider, "Oi! You alright, mate?"

The rider slowly nodded, "Y-yeah. Please, don't let him kill Saela!"

The soldier turned back to face Libra with his eyebrow raised, "_Him_? Mate, I think you were knocked too hard in the noggin there. She's clearly a lady," Libra growled in response.

The soldier gritted his teeth, "Oi! We don't have to fight! None of us want to do this! Exalt Emmeryn gave her life so we can avoid fighting! We were there! We saw what happened! Please! Don't you understand the meaning of her sacri-!" Libra charged forward as he jumped into the air, screaming as he brought his axe down on the Plegian soldier.

The soldier brought his lance up to try and block the attack with the pole, but his eyes widened as the staff shattered in two. Libra's axe smashed into the man's collarbone, lodging itself deep into the man's body. The man screamed just as his comrade did.

Libra yanked at his axe and the man flew forward as the weapon came loose. The soldier gave a bloodcurdling scream when he withered on the ground, cursing loudly. Libra walked forward to the soldier and stared down on the man, the war monk's hairs covering his eyes.

The soldier rocked back and forth as Libra neared, his face enraged while he watched his executioner. As Libra brought his axe into the air the soldier screamed, "You bitch!" The axe came down and the man became still.

The rider stared in horror as he watched the back of the Ylissean priest kill one of his comrades. The priest bent down to pick up his axe and the soldier's body slowly lifted before falling back to the ground as the weapon came loose.

The rider turned his head when he heard Saela whimper before he looked back at the priest already making his way back to the dragon. The rider got up and ran over to where his partner was before he fell in the mud once again, hissing in pain when he did so.

The priest walked closer and closer as his axe hung ominously by his side. The rider sat with his back leaning against Saela with the wyvern still whimpering in pain and fear.

The Plegian brought his hands up and cried.

"Please! Please! Please don't hurt her! She's only just a kid! She's been afraid of thunder and other loud noises ever since she was a hatchling! The army almost killed her because they thought she was no good! I spent so long trying to convince them not to do it! Please! She's like family to me!"

The rider stared up in despair as Libra stood before him, axe swinging by his side. Libra looked coolly down on the rider before he gripped his axe with both hands and brought it above his head.

The Plegian teared as he closed his eyes, "Please…"

The sound of a horse echoed in the distance and the rider looked up to find the priest being knocked to the ground when the horse rammed him. The rider looked up expecting his comrades but was shocked to find a woman with blonde hair and a parasol dressed in pink along with another woman with short, dark hair and priestly robes riding in the back. The blonde haired woman was pointing her staff in Libra's face with the green light illuminating his features.

"Libra!" Maribelle shouted. "This soldier surrendered! He is begging for mercy! How dare you try and still take his life!"

Libra stared back at Maribelle with a shocked look on his face before he turned to a scowl once again, "I cannot forgive him…"

"But you're a priest!" Maribelle started.

"Yes. But there are some sins that can not be forgiven," Libra growled. He looked at the injured rider, "It was because of men like him that my friends are gone. Because men like him they can't live another day-!"

"Libra!" Maribelle shouted.

"They are the very spawns of Grima himself!" Libra screamed. "I can not turn the other cheek when there is no other cheek left!" He slowly began to stand up.

Rage flashed across Maribelle's face while she continually tried to block the path between Libra and the injured rider. Her determination faltering when she saw him pick up his axe.

Maribelle looked back when she heard Naomi quietly speak up, "Libra…"

Libra stopped in his tracks, "Naomi…?" Naomi nodded before she brought her right leg over the horse's saddle and fell to the floor, her strength still weakened. Libra worriedly call out, "Naomi!"

Naomi recovered and slowly crawled her way over to the injured rider, the rider stared back at her with a look of uncertainty. Naomi brought out her staff as she tried to give a smile toward the man before she placed a hand on his ribs.

Libra spoke up again, "Naomi, what are you doing?"

"Only hours ago did Exalt Emmeryn sacrifice her life to show us her willingness for peace without bloodshed," Naomi answered. "You obviously didn't see. I'll show you again."

"What? How did you? I thought you were unconscious?" Libra asked, confused.

"I was conscious, but only for a moment," she continued. "But in that one moment, I saw something, along with everyone else, an action so powerful that it will forever be ingrained in both my heart and mind."

Maribelle stepped in, "I understand what you mean Naomi, but the middle of a battlefield isn't the safest place to heal someone."

Naomi turned back to the rider, "I know. It will only be for a moment. We'll meet with the others as soon as I'm done," she placed a hand on the rider's ribs again before the man slowly grabbed her arm.

Libra angrily stepped forward before Maribelle's horse blocked him once again. Naomi stared at the rider with confusion on her face before he spoke up, "Wait. Heal Saela. I can manage for now." Naomi stared for a couple more seconds before slowly nodding and shifted a little bit closer to the injured wyvern.

Saela whimpered in pain as Naomi placed her hands over the wyvern's body, the violent wounds glowing green. Everyone stared in silence as Naomi worked on the healing process. Libra looked with confusion at Naomi before turning his head to Maribelle. The noblewoman staring back at him before back to the girl.

Naomi continued for a couple more minutes before she spoke up, "She's a beautiful wyvern... If you can get past all the injuries," she turned to the rider, "Saela? Was it?"

The Plegian slowly nodded, "Y-yes, ma'am."

Naomi smiled warmly at him, "She's much more quieter than to the ones I'm used to," Libra's face darkened.

"Really now?" the rider inquired. "Well, normally she's much more playful… But because of these circumstances…" he angrily glared at Libra who growled back.

Naomi looked at Libra's feet, unwilling to meet his gaze, "I-It's not his fault. He and I, we've… had some bad… experiences with wyvern in the past." The rider stared at Naomi before it slowly clicked in his mind.

"Oh…"

"I'm sorry," the rider looked back at the ground, now it was he who was unwilling to meet her gaze. "None of us wanted this. I'm sorry for the loss of your friends. I guess it's unreasonable for me to ask you to help heal Saela."

Naomi sighed and shook her head, closing her eyes to try and force back the coming tears, "D-don't worry. It's fine," the rider solemnly looked back.

A few more minutes passed before the rider spoke up again, "Hey, uh, there were a couple of guys like myself some time ago… They were heading to the front lines to try and fight you guys off," he looked at Naomi. "I'm sorry. But… do you know if they...?" Naomi turned back to her work and closed her eyes, unwilling to answer. The rider's face fell when she did that and he turned back to the floor, his head hanging as he slowly let out a, "Oh…" Naomi looked back at the Plegian as he closed his eyes and quietly cursed, "Fuck…" Naomi teared herself away and silently went back to her work.

A couple more minutes passed and the process was done. Hot sweat slid down Naomi's face as she turned to face the fully healed Saela. Saela rubbed her head against the priestess's face.

The rider smiled when he turned to Naomi, "Thank you…"

Naomi smiled as she stared back at the rider, noticing for the first time the features of the young man. Short, light brown hair that was lightly trimmed at the side. Auburn eyes and light skin that went well with the red, wyvern uniform he wore. Naomi smiled as she admitted to herself that he was slightly handsome.

"You're welcome."

The rider turned to Saela and rubbed her sides, "Hey there, kiddo. You look all better now," Saela lightly growled. He turned back to Naomi while he continued to rub Saela, "Thank you. Thank you. And a thousand times more, thank you. I don't know what I would have done had I lost her."

Naomi waved it off, feeling slightly weak, "It's fine."

The rider stared at the ground with his hand still on Saela's belly before looking back up, "You know, this entire time. I don't think I ever got your name."

Naomi sat there as she looked up at Libra, the priest staring emotionlessly at the back of the Plegian's head; and then she looked at Maribelle, whose face was also indifferent. She turned back to the rider and answered, "Naomi."

The Plegian smiled, "That's a beautiful name."

Naomi smiled back, "Thank you. And may I have the pleasure of learning yours?"

The rider looked back at Libra and gave another glare at the war monk before turning back and answering.

"Aaron."

The smile from Naomi's face faded as she hauntedly turned to face Libra, the anger from the war monk's face disappeared and his expression fell. He turned to face Maribelle who also stared back in shocked disbelief.

As Libra looked at Maribelle, from the corner of his eye he finally noticed the large, orange armor of Kellam and a couple others standing in the distance with Aaron still hanging in the knight's arms. The boy's body still unbreathing.

The axe slipped from Libra's fingers and splashed in the mud. The monk fell to his knees and brought his hands to his face when he began to cry.

The rider, Aaron, turned back and was surprised to find the emotionless priest suddenly break down into tears. He looked back at Naomi with confusion on his face.

Naomi continued to sit silent while she stared at the floor, her hands gripped against her thighs as tears fell down her face. Aaron stared at the crying priest, unsure of what to do. His fingers that weren't still holding his injured ribs slowly made their way to Naomi's hands.

"Hey…"

Naomi bit her lip when she looked up, trying to wipe the tears away before she did so. She paused for a moment before trying to brave another smile.

"I'm… sorry. I don't know what came over me."

The rider looked pained.

Naomi closed her eyes and slowly exhaled before opening them again, "Hey… Aaron?"

"Yes?" he responded.

"You're side. You're still injured, let me help you with that," she brought out her staff again.

Aaron paused, "But you look exhausted. I don't want you to strain yourself more than you have to."

Naomi leaned closer to him while her hands began to glow green, placing her left on his thigh and the other over his wound. "Please, let me heal you," she softly whispered. Aaron blushed at the close proximity and the sudden warmth of her hand on his leg. Realizing the beautifulness of the girl as she leaned her forehead slightly closer to him, closing her eyes.

"Naomi, I could-" Maribelle started.

"It's fine," the girl cut her off.

Naomi's breathing became much more heavy while the wound slowly healed, her body swaying back and forth. Aaron's eyes widened in fear when he grabbed her arm, "H-hey. You don't need to push yourself too much!"

Naomi slowly shook her head, "Don't worry… I'm almost done." The rider stared helplessly at the girl.

Soon the wound had healed and Aaron lightly touched his rib where the axe made contact. Weary of the pain but was surprised to find he felt none.

He looked up to thank Naomi once again before he saw her swaying much more violently this time, "H-hey! Naomi!" Libra looked up.

Naomi opened one of her eyes and gave a small smile before falling forward into Aaron's arms. The rider shocked as she began to wrap her arms around him.

"...Aaron… That's a beautiful name…" she whispered.

"Hey. Oi!" Aaron spoke up once again. Libra crawled forward.

"Naomi?" Libra quietly let out.

She turned to him, her head still leaning against Aaron's chest as she let out a weak smile, "Guess I lied... looks like I won't be meeting up with the others after all. I'll be meeting a different group..."

She frowned.

"Libra… Please. This isn't you. Don't use the death of our friends as a means for revenge. Don't insult them like that. Don't hate. Only the unloved hate. Learn to forgive… like we've been taught to forgive... Just like…" she gulped. "Just like… Exalt Emmeryn did. Let her sacrifice save you… even if we couldn't save her," Libra teared further. "We'll be… seeing you… Chance… Isaac… Adam… Joanna… Aaron…" the rider blinked. "...The others… and I…we'll be... seeing you…" Naomi smiled. "I love you..."

Naomi became limp in Aaron's arms as the two men frantically called for her.

"Naomi?"

"Naomi!"

* * *

Chrom charged toward another group of Plegians as they held their weapons in defensive stances. The prince gripped Falchion in his right hand while he ran, spinning and slashing his blade across the soldiers' necks when he neared.

The men fell and more reinforcements arrived, Chrom sprinted toward the enemy and lunged forward, stabbing one soldier through the chest. Another brought his axe in the air and brought it down before Chrom blocked the strike. The prince immediately spun again and slashed through the man's lower torso.

Another soldier attacked with the same move as Chrom blocked it once again, throwing the man off balance while Chrom sweeped his blade upwards and struck a second fighter. Chrom ran forward and stabbed an incoming soldier through the throat before rolling off the man's back when the he fell forward. Chrom immediately brought Falchion down and smashed the skull of another fighter.

The axe wielding soldier that lost his balance ran back to Chrom and swung his axe down once again, the prince again blocked the attack before swiftly spinning by his side and impaling him through the lower back.

An archer ran and took position about fifteen feet away from Chrom and took aim. The prince caught a quick glimpse of the archer when another soldier ran in front to attack him. Chrom punched the soldier in the face and pulled the man in front of him when the archer let fire, the arrow striking his comrade in the back.

The archer growled as he prepared a second arrow. Chrom tossed the body to the side before he chucked Falchion through the air; the blade spinning as it struck the archer dead center in the chest. The archer recoiled back while Chrom charged at him to retrieve his weapon, stopping when another soldier lunged with his lance forward as the lord grabbed the polearm and shoved himself into the man.

The soldier fell back as Chrom rammed the lower end of the lance into the man's chest before smacking it once again against the side of his head. Chrom crouched with the spear and ran the man through, immediately letting the weapon go as the soldier was shoved into the air. Chrom turned back to the archer and ran again as he pulled Falchion out of the man's chest before punching him in the face.

The archer fell and another soldier attacked from behind as Chrom blocked it once more before slashing the soldier's gut.

More and more soldiers threw themselves at Chrom in a desperate attempt to stop the man's rampage. Chrom spun and swung his sword every which way in an incredible fury as he yelled, a wave of blood appearing with each swing.

A pile of bodies and dismembered limbs laid bleeding by Chrom's feet as the prince breathed heavily. He looked up to find one last soldier pointing his lance at him with a look of fear in his eyes. Chrom became enraged once more as he roared, yanking Falchion out from one of the bodies and sprinted toward the frightened soldier.

The soldier immediately dropped his weapon and tried to turn back and run. Chrom lunged forward and stabbed the Plegian through the back and out his chest as the soldier was thrown forward. Chrom pulled Falchion out from his body before he stomped on the soldier's wound. The soldier yelled before Chrom impaled him through the back of the head.

Chrom huffed as he slowly pulled Falchion from the soldier's body; his bloodlust still unsated when he began to recover. He stood up when his sword finally became free from the man's skull, the blade dripped as it was covered in blood.

Chrom crouched down and held a part of the man's shirt, wiping the blood and dirt away from his blade before he stood back up. He looked at the destroyed body and grunted in disgust at the dead animal before he continued to walk forward.

Once Chrom turned the corner of a muddy hillside, he looked to his left and found General Mustafa along with several other Plegian soldiers standing guard around him. Almost all of the guards were regular foot soldiers with lances in hand with an exception of a wyvern and its rider. Mustafa looked at Chrom with pained eyes.

Chrom's face darkened before he stalked his way toward the group.

The Plegian guards shifted on their feet as the prince neared while the rider in the center spoke through clenched teeth, "Get ready to charge, men…" Chrom ominously twirled Falchion in his hands.

Chrom stood about fifty feet away before the rider leaned into his mount and prepared to give the command to attack. But as he was about to give the signal, General Mustafa placed a hand on the rider's leg and walked past. The foot soldiers stared at the general in confusion when he moved past them and the rider frantically called out, "General! Sir! Come back here!"

"No," Mustafa let out, staring intently at Chrom while he pulled out his axe. "I will not allow any more of my men to suffer while I hide in the back. Let me fight for my life or allow me to lose it."

"Sir!" the rider called out again.

"Wait for me, Lieutenant," Mustafa calmly replied, stopping when he saw Chrom do just the same.

The general sighed.

"Here we are… Prince Chrom," Mustafa began. Chrom stared back with malice in his eyes as lightning flashed followed by another boom from up above. The general stayed quiet waiting for Chrom to respond. The rain fell harder and the wind began to picked up speed.

Chrom stared back for several more seconds before he took in a deep breath and exhaled through his nose. General Mustafa bit his lip when the prince refused to answer, "Is there truly no other way for this to end other than bloodshed?"

Chrom breathed again, "No."

The general closed his eyes and slowly inhaled and exhaled, his grip tightened around the handle of his axe. Mustafa opened his eyes when he sadly spoke out, "...Very well then," he began making his way toward Chrom, who did the same. "I do not wish to fight you, Prince Chrom, but you leave me no choice. Under oath to my king I cannot disobey my orders. Let us make battle, you and I," Chrom charged forward.

Chrom arched his shoulder back and brought Falchion down in a one handed swing; Mustafa brought his left hand up and blocked the blade with his metal cuff, parrying the attack back as he shoved Chrom to the side.

Chrom stumbled and recovered, immediately bringing Falchion up to block Mustafa's axe. He soon let the blade fall as he twirled to his left and swung his blade toward the general's back. Mustafa fell forward and rolled, narrowly dodging the swing. The Plegian soldiers watched with mixed anticipation.

Chrom once again swung his blade at the man's ribs as the general held his axe parallel to his body and blocked with the pole. Chrom swung again furiously with incredible speeds, lunging again and again in a quick fury of strikes. Mustafa quickly blocked each attack as he nimbly hopped on the balls of his feet. The large man was much more agile than he looked.

Chrom brought his blade over his head and forcefully brought it down; Mustafa blocked the attack yet again and then let the prince's blade slide down his axe. Chrom stumbled and the Plegian general took the opportunity and smashed Chrom in the face with his large fist.

The prince fell to the ground as Falchion escaped from his hand. Chrom angrily looked up and wiped the blood from his mouth as Mustafa stood from where he was, breathing heavily. The general looked at Falchion laying in the mud and then back to Chrom as the blue haired prince quickly grabbed the royal sword and rolled back to his feet.

Mustafa blinked for a second and prepared another defensive stance, "Come."

Chrom charged forward once again.

Mustafa blocked each fury of strikes as he slowly stepped backwards, the prince began to tire and his movement became sloppy. The general struck him in the face once more.

Chrom fell but quickly recovered, charging once more at his opponent before leaping into the air and lunging forward. Mustafa blocked the attack with the broad side of his axe before looking in surprise as Chrom's fist connected with his face.

The general stumbled back and looked up just in time as Chrom brought his sword down and slashed with his blade diagonally across the man's torso. The Lieutenant yelled and jumped off his mount, trying to run forward before the other Plegian soldiers held him back.

Mustafa laid on his side facing the ground as Chrom went for a hard kick in the ribs. The general grabbed the prince's foot before it made contact and heaved him off the floor. Chrom fell hard on his back with his cape by this point completely covered in mud. The man picked himself up as he watched the general do the same, his left hand holding his right shoulder where the wound from Chrom's blade had started.

The two men were breathing heavily.

Chrom's intense bloodlust by this point had completely disappeared when he realized how alone he was right now. The Shepherds were long gone by this point and he had only himself to defend his life.

His focus was no longer on killing as many Plegians as possible, but was now on trying to survive. Mustafa slowly walked forward.

Chrom watched as the Plegian general struggled to keep himself together, wincing in pain as his left arm was incapacitated while holding his shoulder. The prince closed his eyes and his heartbeat began to slow. He tried to focus his thoughts.

Lightning flashed and thunder boomed. Chrom opened his eyes and charged at the general, swinging his blade as the general once again blocked.

Chrom weaved low and sweeped one of his legs beneath the general's feet. Mustafa stumbled and fell to one knee, automatically bringing his axe up to block Chrom's downward strike.

Falchion bounced off the axe and was quickly diverted to Mustafa's right side as the general tried in vain to block the attack. He was unable to do so as his right arm tried its best to bend at the weird angle.

The general screamed when Chrom smashed one of his ribs. Chrom brought Falchion over his head again and crushed his blade into Mustafa's right collarbone. He passed Falchion only to his right hand and stabbed his blade through the front of the man's chest; pulling it out once more and reversed his grip when he brought the sword to the general's backside and stabbed again through his back and out from his chest.

Lightning flashed and time stood still. Nothing moved but the droplets of falling rain.

Chrom pulled his blade out from the Mustafa's back and the general fell forward, trying to catch himself with his weakened arms before they collapsed and violently coughed up blood. The Plegian soldiers were too shocked to move.

As Chrom stepped back from the heavily beaten general with Falchion still in his hand; the anger in his eyes slowly began to fade and softened while he watched the suffering man.

The general continued coughing up more piles of blood.

The Plegian soldiers that were holding back the Lieutenant still had their hands on him but had no force to their grip. Theirs arms fell away when he shoved past them and suddenly ran forward.

"General! General!"

Mustafa struggled to slowly pick himself off the floor, mud and blood mixed together as two large gaping holes were seen through the man's chest. Chrom watched in disbelief at the somehow indestructible man as he slowly limped himself forward. Falchion stayed by his side when the general finally stood about a foot away from him.

The Plegian general tried his best to stand up as straight as he could before he quickly leaned forward and grunted in pain. His hand automatically flying to his ribs when they cracked, doing his best to ignore the incredible pain and the rapid loss of blood. His mind began to fade as he brought his arm around Chrom and pulled him into a one armed hug. The Lieutenant suddenly stopped running.

Chrom stood unmoving in shocked silence as the general held him close. His blood began to mix with Chrom's clothes.

Mustafa slowly breathed before he quietly whispered to Chrom, "Good fight there… there, lad."

Chrom's heartbeat began to slow when he held his breath, unsure of what was going on. His arms slowly moved up as he returned the hug, Falchion still in his hand.

The general's legs suddenly began to buckle as he pulled Chrom down with him. Chrom did not fight back.

Mustafa laid on his knees with his arm still wrapped around the prince, "Live… Prince Chrom. Survive. Know that not all Plegians wish to see the blood of Ylisseans being spilled. Remember that when you become exalt..."

Chrom couldn't help but automatically reply when the word slipped from his lips, "Sir…"

Mustafa smiled at the response, "Thank you… all I ask now… is that you spare my men," Chrom looked up as the Plegian Lieutenant stood a couple feet away, the foot soldiers in the back staring as well.

Guilt filled Chrom's heart as he looked back to the dying general and nodded his head, "Yes, sir…" Mustafa smiled.

Chrom slowly let go of the general and carefully placed him on the ground, the rain splashed off his body and mud surrounded his entirety. The Lieutenant walked over and knelt by the general's side, Chrom stood up and placed Falchion away as he did so.

Rain continue to fall and running footsteps were heard from behind. Chrom turned around and found Ian sprinting toward him with anger plastered all over his face. He spoke up when the tactician neared, "Ian, I-"

Ian ran up and socked Chrom in the face with every fiber of his being. The prince fell and blood oozed from the corner of his mouth, he looked up and saw Ian breathing heavily over him with his fist still shaking.

Ian furiously shouted, "YOU FUCKING DUMBASS! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!?"

Chrom was shocked as his hand covered his cheek. He started again, "Ian, I-!"

"WE COULD HAVE LOST YOU, YOU FREAKIN' MORON! BLOODY FREDERICK TOOK AFTER YOUR DUMBASS AND SO DID LIBRA! BECAUSE OF YOU WE COULD HAVE LOST SO MANY MORE LIVES!"

Chrom became very quiet.

Ian continued to breath heavily for several more seconds before he attempted to calm himself down. Finally noticing the dying general and the Plegian soldiers standing in the background. Ian opened opened his mouth once and then closed it, and then opening it once again when he asked, "What the hell is this?" Chrom looked back at the general and then forward once again, unable to meet Ian's eyes.

Ian's hand fell while he let out a sigh. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose before he spoke through his teeth, "I freakin' hate you, Chrom…"

Chrom bit his lip when Ian lowered his hand and offered to pick him up. Ian sighed, "Are you alright, mate? You had us bloody worried back there."

Chrom nodded when he accepted the hand, "Uh, yeah… I'm fine."

Ian nodded in response, "That's good," he turned to Mustafa and his Lieutenant; the general still bleeding on the muddy ground with the large holes in his chest when the tactician asked, "Is... there anything we can do? I know we're enemies, but I know you didn't want to fight."

The general coughed up more blood before weakly waving the offer off with a finger, "It was… inevitable... Sacrifices must be made for the greater good."

"Are you sure?" Ian asked.

"We have vulneraries and elixirs back at camp. We'll heal the general when we get there," the Lieutenant answered.

"No," Mustafa interjected. "Save those bottles… for the lads who need them," he coughed again. "My time is done."

"But general!" the Lieutenant spoke up. "The fighting is done! We all got passed our differences! There is no sense in just letting you die!"

Mustafa chuckled, "It may seem that way, but if… I were to return to the king. He would see nothing but a broken man who has failed in his orders," the Lieutenant clenched his teeth and Mustafa exhaled. "He would… murder my wife and child for that failure… No, I would rather give my life than allow that to happen. Sacrifices must be made."

The Lieutenant argued, "That's a damn, stupid sacrifice."

Everyone stood still when the rest of the Shepherds began to emerge through the mist, watching and unsure of what to make of the scene before them. Ian stared in silence as the general soon began to choke and the Lieutenant began patting his back. The tactician placed a hand on Chrom's shoulder and said, "C'mon, Chrom. Let's go."

Chrom continued staring as the guilt ate his heart, his hands turning to fists before they slowly came undone, "Yeah… okay, Ian," he crouched down and placed a hand on the general's leg. "I'm… sorry, for my actions, general. If you manage to survive, please, let me know. I wish to thank you proper for the kindness you have done when I see you again."

The general barely shook his head, "No. Only… in the next life, lad."

Chrom sighed, "I understand," he stood back up and nodded toward Ian. "C'mon, let's go."

Chrom walked past Ian with his head still slightly angled downwards. Ian turned to leave when the general spoke up, "Hey, you. Boy... The one with the white hair and coat," Ian turned back.

"Yes?"

"He... said your name was Ian, correct?" he motioned to Chrom. Ian cautiously nodded his head. Mustafa lightly smiled, "I had a friend once. Back in the last war… when Plegia and Ylisse last traded blows... he had a nephew with the same name…" Ian stared back. "I... wonder how he's... doing…" he closed his eyes.

Ian stared with a confused look at the general and then at the Lieutenant. The Lieutenant gripped Mustafa's limp hand when he shook his head at the ashen haired tactician, showing he was just as confused about the general's words as he was.

Ian sighed and then turned back, making his way back to the Shepherds as they prepared to leave.

The Lieutenant closed his eyes and bit his lip as tears began to roll, not noticing the general's hand tighten around his own. His eyes opened when Mustafa quietly spoke.

"Alec…"

"Y-yes, sir?" the Lieutenant replied, his hope rising that General Mustafa might still live.

The general pointed after Ian, "Do you… see that man's coat?"

"Yes, sir," he quickly replied.

"What does it remind you of?" Mustafa asked.

The Lieutenant thought for a moment while still confused at the general's question. He spoke when the answer came to him, "...It looks like one of the old coat uniforms issued to wyvern officers back in the war more than fifteen years ago, sir."

Mustafa smiled, "Correct," the Lieutenant turned back to Mustafa with a questioning look in his eye. "You have a good eye. And a good memory. It'll… serve you well… when you become general…"

"Sir?" more tears formed in the rider's eye.

Mustafa's tight grip around his Lieutenant's hand slowly began to weaken and his mind began to fade. Light formed at the edge of his vision before it engulfed it whole. He spoke with his last thoughts to himself.

"_Ian, huh? I wonder…"_

And as Plegian General Mustafa let out his final breath, the warm desert rains continued to cleanse the old veteran, mixing with the tears of a crying Lieutenant.

* * *

**And there ends chapter 5. And don't worry, guys. I'm not aiming to turn this story into a full blown tragedy, it's not going to be all doom and gloom. There will be much more lighter parts and some form of comedy later on. ****But back to a more regular note, I wrote this chapter while reading a few other Fire Emblem fanfictions and noticed how quickly the enemy seem to die in those. Fight scenes usually end up with the Shepherds powering through them with a small mention of how quick the enemy falls. This in the end takes some of the immersion away from me. **

**This is mainly due to the fact that when I first started playing Awakening, it was more of a joke to my younger sister because I didn't take the game seriously. I didn't play DS games much before and my only experience with Fire Emblem was from Smash Brothers. And so to enforce the joke about how much I didn't care about what happens to my forces in the game, I selected Lunatic Classic mode for my first run (It wasn't Ian though because this story is based on my second playthrough).**

**Long story short, I became addicted and suffered for hours trying to get past the beginning stages with everyone alive and never once did I think, "Boy, this game is easy." Eventually over time though I finished the game. It was a long but fun journey, and what started as a joke ended up with me deciding to write fanfiction for this very this game. Funny how things turn out. **

**So in the end, I attempted to make the enemy soldiers in this chapter, and a tad bit in the last, with having some form of intelligence and competence in combat, more so during Frederick's fight scene, as opposed to just them walking in front of the Shepherds, getting a heart attack, and suddenly drop down dead. **

**Thank you guys once again for the reviews and I apologize for the unnecessarily long author's note/rant/story time. I just realized how easy it is to rant here, haha. Thanks again, guys. **


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